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Egypt to close university dorms in a bid to quell student protests

May 24, 2014 at 2:25 pm

The Egyptian ministry of higher education is currently working on a long-term plan to close down university dormitories believed to be a hub for organising student protests, a London-based newspaper reported Sunday.

According to Al-Araby Al-Gadid newspaper, the Egyptian ministry of higher education is secretly planning to eliminate dorms on the long-run, as part of security plans to crush anti-coup activity by university students on campus.

On Friday, Cairo University Council decided to impose new rules on students residing on campus, including higher fees on meals and accommodation.

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Wael al-Degwy denied the reports. However, he admitted the existence of a plan to separate dorms from campuses, and to impose new accommodation fees on students.

A student at Al-Azhar University, Mohamed Ahmed, told Al-Araby al-Gadid that the manager of his dorms informed students that they will paid EGP 300 per academic term and asked to find an alternative place to live outside campus. This decision would lead to an increase in rental fees in the vicinities of universities, which would make it difficult for underprivileged students to afford accommodation costs, he said.

Ahmed added that living conditions inside dorms are dire, with no renovations being done for a long time. Students routinely suffer from food poisoning due to the poor quality of food provided by universities. However, he stressed, “Any decision to evacuate dorms will be met by student uproar.”