Following a bloody academic year in which 26 students were killed in clashes with police at Egyptian universities, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi issued a decree that from now on he would appoint rectors. The decree stated that he would choose one of three professors nominated by a committee comprised of senior professors.
Following a bloody academic year in which 26 students were killed in clashes with police at Egyptian universities, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi issued a decree that from now on he would appoint rectors. The decree stated that he would choose one of three professors nominated by a committee comprised of senior professors.
The decision also stated that a rector could be removed by presidential decree – subject to the judgement of the Supreme Council of Universities – if he or she neglects their duties.
Deterioration of democracy
Laila Soueif, science professor at Cairo University and member of the March 9 Movement, says the decision reflects the deterioration of democracy in Egypt. “What are the conditions for forming the committee that chooses rectors and deans? And what does ‘senior professors’ mean?” she wonders. “Are they the eldest professors, the most professional, or the nearest to the ruling regime?”
The M9M, established in 2003 by a group of professors to face university corruption, is a prominent movement that campaigns for university autonomy. “What are the compelling reasons for amending this law now?” asks Soueif. “Also this decision goes against the constitution, which provides for university autonomy, and also against the laws in many democratic countries where rectors and deans are chosen by the faculty rather than by the state.”
Soueif says the M9M and all university movements have consistently resisted amending university laws and changing the way rectors are chosen. She claims they sent a letter to former President Adly Mansour rejecting this amendment, and were shocked when the law was amended despite the demands. M9M members and other university movements are planning to file a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court to stop this amendment being enforced.
Third way
Jamal Zahran, professor of political science at Suez University, believes that el-Sisi’s decision is a part of a new “third way” to reforming the education system.
The first way, says Zahran, is how things were before the revolution, when rectors were appointed by the president and they would choose their deputies and deans after consultation with the prime minister. The second way was after the revolution, when rectors were elected, which, Zahran says, caused many crises: “The fact that elections allowed all those teaching in universities, including PhD students and assistant professors, to vote. This was exploited by certain political movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Party, who controlled 10 out of 22 universities.”
“Relying on the best professors to choose rectors and deans is better for the educational process, and ends the domination of political Islamist currents, which still control Alexandria University, Minya University, Ismailia University and Beni Suef University,” he added.
Zahran argues that an advantage of the new process is that rectors no longer choose deans, which gives the latter more powers, pointing out that this also happens in many countries, such as France. But he underlined that clear standards should be defined for forming the committee tasked with nominating rectors and deans.
Moving backwards
The official spokesperson for the Students Against The Coup movement Ibrahim Gamal disagrees with Zahran. “The current government has a strong desire to revoke all that is elected and all that gives Egyptians their freedom,” he said. “The election system in the universities is one of the January 25 Revolution’s achievements and these amendments kill the democratic spirit and pave the way for the police state to take back control of universities. The decision also allows security forces to intervene not only in appointing rectors and deans, but also in choosing PhD students, eliminating the principle of equal opportunities.”
Gamal expects that universities will witness more oppression, including the potential repression of student activities and associations, which have not been elected for a year now.
The security mentality, says Gamal, controls everything in Egypt now, and he expects security forces to be able to choose their favourites, which inevitably leads to more tension between students and university administrations.
Mohamed Abdussalam, a researcher at the “Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression” student rights programme, considers the decision an outrageous intervention in academic life in Egypt, stressing that it is full of mistakes. He thinks that, at the end of the day, it is better for the committee to choose professors based only on competence, and let the faculty elect from among them.
