Rights groups condemn revocation of study permit

Ahram Online 20 February 2016

Over 20 rights groups condemned a December decision by Cairo University to end a postgraduate scholarship abroad for a staff member months after she started pursuing her studies, reports Ahram Online.

Kholoud Saber, an assistant lecturer at Cairo University, started a year-long scholarship for PhD studies at KU Leuven in Belgium last September. However, in December, Saber said she received an email from Cairo University informing her that her study abroad permit was revoked based on a decision by the information department at the Ministry of Higher Education.

In a collective statement, 21 rights group said they "strongly condemn" the university's decision. The groups, which include the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and the Arab Network for Human Rights, said the decision to end Saber's scholarship "has dangerous ramifications for academic freedom [in Egypt].. .and undermines the university's independence".
Full report on the Ahram Online site

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