CAIRO — Based on a vote by the majority of parliamentarians, parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal referred Feb. 25 a bill amending Law No. 49 of 1972 on the organization of public universities to the parliamentary Education Committee for further examination. A vote on the bill is to be scheduled following the issuance of the committee’s report on the bill on a date that is yet to be determined.

Al-Monitor learned from parliamentary sources that the proposed amended Article 189 would read as follows: “A public university shall dispose of and manage its own funds, including the establishment of national nonprofit universities or branches, solely or in partnership with the private sector in accordance with Law No. 162 of 2018. The disposition and management of the university funds and accounts shall be subject to the provisions of the financial and accounting regulations issued by a decision of the minister of higher education after taking the opinion of the University Council and the approval of the Supreme Council of Universities.”

Nonprofit universities are not free as students pay education expenses and univerisity costs, which include staff salaries, water and electricity fees, building maintenance expenses, and so on. The board of trustees of each university determines this amount under the supervision of the Central Auditing Organization.

Under Law No. 49 of 1972, public universities were not allowed to establish nonprofit universities or branches; the proposed bill would allow them to do so. This issue has raised controversy in Egypt with many wondering what would push the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and public universities to establish national nonprofit universities, and how would these universities affect free education at public universities.