EGYPT: Uncertain future for first research university

Since long-standing president Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular revolt in February, Egypt has been gripped by waves of protests ranging from demands for better wages to the removal of university administrators deemed loyal to the former regime. Now students and academics at Nile University, Egypt's first research university set up in 2007, have taken to the street - but this time, to protect an institution accused of corruption from closure.

Students and staff want the state-owned university to remain in existence and operation after it became caught up in a vehement anti-corruption drive launched by Egypt's new military rulers.

Established by the Ministry of Information Technology as a non-profit academic institution on a more than 50 hectare campus, Nile University has attracted postgraduate students and researchers in fields such as nanontechnology, informatics and software engineering.

A recent decision transferring ownership of the university's assets from the Ministry of Information Technology to the Fund for Education Development, another governmental body, has disrupted studies at the university located in the town of Sheikh Zayed on the outskirts of Cairo.

"For years, Egypt had looked for a scientific model to be the basis of research progress. Now that this model has successfully taken the shape of Nile University, it is surprising that it is being destroyed on the excuse that corruption was involved in a deal to buy the land on which it was established," said Hazem Ezzat, a Vice President of the university.

"The fate of the university should be separated from the story of the land deal," he argued.

More than 300 postgraduate students attend the university, which has been commended for the quality of its education in a country where state-owned universities are often synonymous with poor education.

"I joined this university in 2009 after graduating from Cairo University [a public university style=bluelink]and got a full free scholarship to work as an assistant researcher and study for a masters degree at the same time. I found out that there is a big difference between this university and other universities," said Shadi Alaa. "The academic standards at Nile University are high."

Hossam Fawzi, another researcher, said: "This university provides a unique learning environment, encouraging creativity. Our dreams should not be shattered under any circumstances."

Fawzi is one of scores of researchers who recently demonstrated outside Egypt's cabinet headquarters to draw attention to the university's predicament.

"If we supposed that there were shady deals in allocating the land for the establishment of this university, why should it be punished for this. After all, the land was not used for building a luxury compound or a resort. It was used for building the first research-orientated, non-profit university in Egypt," he protested.

Around 150 researchers are working at Nile University, which has published around 700 research papers including 250 by postgraduate students, since its inception a few years ago, according to Moustafa Ghanem, also a Vice President of the endangered institution.

"Nile University has become an attraction to many Egyptian academics working overseas," added Ghanem, who joined the university just four months ago after returning from Britain.

Last week, students and researchers at the university launched a campaign to drum up support for its battle for survival, under the motto: "Save the future of scientific research in Egypt".