Private universities told to ban ‘insulting’ research

Minister of Higher Education Ashraf al-Shihy has published a statement obliging private universities to review all research papers and thesis dissertations to ensure they do not include any “direct or indirect insult to societies or individuals belonging to any brotherly or friendly countries”, writes Mai Shams El-Din for Mada Masr.

Mada Masr acquired a copy of the statement, published on 15 October, in which Shihy stated that the directive comes after a dissertation was presented in an Egyptian university that insulted a public personality in a neighbouring country. He claimed that this “contradicts the principles of the Egyptian state and society, and conflicts with Egypt’s ethical commitments and its leading role in the region, and shakes Egypt’s relationships with brotherly states”.

A teaching assistant in a private university, who declined to be named, told Mada Masr that the decision was officially sent to their email by the administration at the university where they work, adding that a similar decree could be applied in public universities, given that it is being imposed by the ministry.
Full report on the Mada Masr site