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Egypt universities outsource security

Falcon Group International, a private contractor, is responsible for security in 12 Egyptian universities, but its presence has sparked controversy among students and administrators alike.
Personnel from Falcon, a private security company, conduct searches as students arrive for a new academic year at the main gate of Al-Azhar University during a protest conducted by a pro-Muslim Brotherhood student movement known as the Students Against the Coup, in Nasr City district October 12, 2014. Universities in Egypt opened on Saturday for the new semester with long queues due to increased security measures such as requiring students to present their identification cards and having their bags inspecte

CAIRO — There has been a tug-of-war between Egyptian students and state authorities as the government attempts to control student actions within the framework of tightening the noose on all state institutions. Authorities believe that student movements and ongoing protests on university campuses threaten the state’s power.

Despite the blockades and clampdowns by successive Egyptian regimes to contain student movements, students have played a part in every political event since the 1920s and are a key factor in shaping the Egyptian political scene since Jan. 25, 2011.

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