EGYPT: Insecurity haunts universities ahead of exams

As Egyptian authorities try hard to re-establish stability in the country more than three months after former president Hosni Mubarak was swept out of office in a popular revolt, universities are concerned that lack of security will threaten examinations. Students at state and private universities are due to sit year-end exams later this month.

A few weeks after Mubarak's ouster, universities removed state police from campuses in compliance with a landmark court ruling issued last October. University administrators have hired private guards and re-trained employees to serve as security personnel.

But they have expressed fears that the upcoming examinations session will be marred by unlawful acts.

"The problem is big for the university as a whole and for our college in particular," said Hassan Emad, deputy dean of the Mass Communication College at Cairo University, Egypt's biggest public university.

The college has been gripped by a series of protests against its dean, whom protesters - both students and lecturers - want sacked for being a member of Mubarak's now-disbanded party and an advocate of its policies in press articles.

"Some academics have fears about security during the exam season," Emad added. "The current situation is not secure and we hope that the university administration will help us protect exam halls and the place where answer sheets will be kept until results are announced."

Moatez Abu Shadi, who is responsible for security at Cairo University, has promised that security measures will be in place when examinations start. "The university is manned by 500 security guards. In addition, 21,000 administrative employees will be used in beefing-up security in and around exam halls," he said.

Administrators of some universities have said they will seek help from the army, which has been in control of Egypt since Mubarak was toppled in February. Others, such Helwan University in southern Cairo, have started tightening security measures.

"Extra steel gates have been installed to protect female students' hostels during the exam season," said Mohamed el-Nashar, Deputy President of the public Helwan University. The hostels were recently attacked by criminals, according to media reports.

"We have well-trained security personnel, who can confront any unlawful behaviour by students or thugs." El Nashar vowed that "deterrent measures" would be taken against students found involved in cheating or rioting.

Admitting the problem of insecurity on campuses, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ezzat Salama disclosed that he had raised the issue at a recent cabinet meeting.

"The Ministry of Finance has agreed to provide more money to solve it," Salama said in remarks to the press.

He added that jobless university graduates would be hired and trained in police institutions to serve as security guards. "By next academic year, each university will have a security department capable of doing a good job and [which] will report directly to the university president," he added.