On April 23, 2014, the Court of Administrative Justice in Alexandria forced the Higher Education Minister to implement the geographic allocation of students applying for the Damanhour University’s Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine.
In its rationale, the court said the minister deviated from justice, spiting certain students by sending them to universities located in cities far from their homes, such Assiut, Minya and Beni Suef.
A recent Al-Shorouk newspaper article wrote that the minister has now resorted to exempting the children of army officers and judges from the geographical allocation of universities for national considerations, which was shocking news.
In a session last week discussing discrimination, the National Council for Human Rights considered it a breach of equality and civil rights.
The Association for Free Thought and Expression considered it a clear violation of the constitution and of international conventions.
Al-Masry Al-Youm recently published the story of Asma Ahmed, a girl from North Sinai who passed her high school exam with a grade of 101 percent, but was denied admission to Cairo University’s Faculty of Mass Communication and sent to Arish University instead.
The minister is favoring the children of the VIPs and is giving them privileges he denies the rest of Egyptians in a most despicable, unjustifiable and discriminatory way.
Discrimination breeds hatred and discord in the community. And those who practice it must be dismissed without hesitation or delay.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
