Egyptian Court Supports Universities’ Independence

By Mohamed Mahmoud. In a decision viewed as supporting the need for Egyptian universities to be free of government interference, the Alexandria administrative court has blocked an effort by the education ministry to force twice-a-year evaluations of university staff.
“The minister’s decision is a flagrant violation of the universities independence,” said Mohammed al-Khafaji, the judge who issued the decision. Although the case only affects the University of Alexandria, it sets a precedent that will encourage similar lawsuits on behalf of professors at other public universities.
On July 2012, President Mohamed Morsi issued a decree increasing the pay of faculty members at public universities, a change regarded by many university supporters as a pressing demand for over a decade. The new increase was conditional on faculty members working a full day, four days a week. But earlier this year, the Supreme Council of Universities, headed by the education minister, ordered faculty members to submit biannual self-evaluations to the Ministry of Higher Education. Read more...