EGYPT

Students return to university after protest warnings

This year’s return to university has been mired in controversy over students’ political activities, with a senior university head threatening to “cut off the heads” of students who organise demonstrations without prior permission, reports the Middle East Eye.

Speaking to Egyptian satellite channel CBC, Gaber Nassar, president of Cairo University, said: “We will cut off the heads of anyone who leaves his work or organises protests without permission from the university."

After weeks of disagreement over new registration rules, up to 2.5 million students are set to attend the first day of study at universities up and down the country. Officials announced last month that a regional distribution system would be introduced, meaning that students from Egypt’s southern and Delta provinces would no longer be allowed to apply to study at universities in Cairo.
Full report on the Middle East Eye site