Monufiya University President Ahmed Zaghloul suspended 32 students from the Agricultural Engineering department in Shebin al-Kom after nearly 200 students from the department prevented former Higher Education Minister Hussein Khaled from leaving a ceremony at the university on 3 April.
The students will not be allowed to take second semester exams because they defied the principles of the university.
Zaghloul said the decision confirms that defiance of the university’s principles and disrespect for the university on campus will not be tolerated. He said that what the students did shows their disrespect for the university.
He said that demands should be expressed through legitimate channels while respecting the law and the dignity of the state.
Khaled had attended a ceremony honoring the university’s teaching staff on 3 April. Students surrounded his car and demanded that the Agricultural Engineering department be separated into a new faculty. The car windshield was broken during the demonstration. The president of the university referred the students to a disciplinary court.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
