Egypt universities ban student political groups
The decision to ban student movements affiliated with political parties at universities in Egypt was met with support, as they prevent clashes on campus, and criticized because the decision is deemed illegal.
Student movements still represent a thorn in the flesh of the political regime in Egypt, especially after the violent, bloody clashes between students and security forces that occurred at universities in 2013. This is why universities in Egypt felt they had no other option than to ban student groups formed on partisan or political bases. However, the real effects of this decision on the student movements remain unclear.
After the Egyptian government decided to delay the school year for a month, Gaber Nasser, president of Cairo University, announced that the school had decided to dissolve student groups supporting political movements or parties to prevent all sorts of partisan political activities on campus, which affect the educational process. Many universities, including Cairo University, complied with the ban, which was a heavy blow for all political parties and factions — whether political or religious — that were believed to be supported by student groups.
The student groups' regulations define student movements as "organizations affiliated with the student groups in the college student union, which guarantee the cooperation between the students and the professors, and between the students and their fellow classmates. They are represented by the group of students that gather around their leader in all sorts of social, cultural and artistic activities."
The regulations stipulate that a group shall only be dissolved following the decision of its leader, its board of directors or two-thirds of the general assembly’s members. It is illegal for university presidents to dissolve student groups.
