Today , The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights and The Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression challenged the decision of the supreme council of universities to increase tuition fees for associate students in Faculties of Arts, Law , Commerce and Sciences from EGP 500 to EGP 5000 . The lawsuit # 48280/ jy 64 is filed before the administrative court.
The Supreme Council of universities declared this decision a few weeks ago. Many students were shocked at this huge raise and were forced to pay in order to enroll. The decision casts unpleasant shadows on the state abandoning free education.
The case is grounded on that the decision breaches article # 169 of the law of regulating universities and the article #271 of the executive regulations of the same law. As well the decision is contrary to the constitution and many other international charters like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment # 13.
Both institutes warn of the consequences of abandoning free education in such hard times that the Egyptian citizens endure that will deprive many of having the chance to associate education. These high fees are by far not less than those of private education institutes.
Both institutes denounce the declarations of some university officials regarding this decision. Mohamed AlNashar , Vice Chairman of Helwan university declared to ElShorouk daily,” The student who already holds a university degree and seeks another will not get it for free. EGP 5000 for Arts colleges and EGP 8000 for Sciences colleges is not much”.
Both institutes express worry that this decision issued by the supreme council of universities to raise associate education tuition fees from EGP 5000 to EGP 8000 could be a step on the way to abolish the whole associate education system. The decision resulted in very few enrollments in some universities and none in others. Most enrollments were redirected in the open education system as in Ein Shams university which recorded 1000 new enrollments which is an indicator that raising associate education fees is indeed a step to abolish the system.
Lastly, both The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights and The Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression call on all who are interested and all who have status to stop implementing the decision and canceling the decision to join the case in order to have a court ruling to enable any citizen of getting through to university associate education as a basic right provided by the constitution , international charters that provide the right to education without discrimination of any sort especially regarding the financial status of students.