New constitution sidelines HE and research – Academics

Higher education and research are given short shrift in Egypt's draft constitution – the country's first since a popular revolt deposed long-standing president Hosni Mubarak almost two years ago – according to academics.

An Islamist-controlled constituent assembly last month hastily adopted the draft charter, which will be put to a public vote on 15 December.

The 234-article document includes only five provisions on education and scientific research, which critics say are vaguely worded and plagued by generalities – which is surprising, as new Islamist President Mohammed Mursi is a former engineering professor.

“There is an acute lack of attention to education as a whole in the draft constitution, although a sub-committee from the constituent assembly met several months ago with the teaching staff at Ain Shams University to learn about their suggestions," said Hussein Eissa, president of the Cairo-based public university.

“None of these suggestion has been adopted in the draft constitution," he complained.

The opposition has condemned the draft document as "flawed" and rushed through under the alleged influence of the assembly's Islamist majority.

"The constituent assembly was too preoccupied with Islamising the new constitution to pay due attention to issues of concern for ordinary people, mainly education and health," said Khaled Samir, a member of an academic movement advocating university independence in Egypt.

He added that all articles on education in the new constitution were "copied" from a previous constitution that was issued in 1971. "The writers of the new constitution have made no effort to rectify the education and health situation in Egypt," Samir said.

The opposition has accused Mursi of breaking his promise to reform the assembly, which was tasked with drafting the constitution to make it better represent the diversity of Egypt.

Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist allies are also accused of seeking to adopt a strict version of Islamic Sharia law.

Further, a controversial article in the draft constitution obliges the state authorities to ‘Arabicise’ education and science – a step that critics say would isolate Egypt from global scientific progress.

There are also concerns that the article may be manipulated by hardline Islamists to restrict teaching the English language at educational institutions in Egypt.

"It is good that the new constitution enshrines freedom of scientific research and the independence of their centres and universities," said Osama Azmi, a professor at the state-run National Centre for Research.

“However, its provision that the state should allocate a sufficient percentage of the gross national product is a very elastic phrase. Who will decide if the money offered by the state to scientific research is sufficient? What the government believes is adequate may be deemed insufficient by researchers,” Azmi said.

Assembly members have said that the draft was thoroughly debated and that suggestions were considered before it was adopted.

“This constitution marks an unprecedented leap for Egypt, especially in areas of rights and freedoms,” said Amr Derag, an engineering professor at Cairo University, who took part in writing the charter.

Derag, also an official of the Muslim Brotherhood, told the independent newspaper Al Masry Al Youm that controversy over the document was “more political” than a “disagreement on the constitution articles”.