Jamal Shiha, Head of the Committee on Education and Scientific Research in the House of Representatives, suggested that the Muslim Brotherhood June 30 schools, currently under state supervision, be listed under the “terrorist entity” law.
“I demand that the ownership of these schools be fully restored to the people, as we have discovered in one session that schools are still being run in a twisted way, and that millions of pounds went out of these schools for other purposes,” Shiha said during the committee’s meeting on Monday.
He added, “We send a message to the Education Ministry calling for the application of the terrorist entities law on the June 30 schools, as they represent a heavy administrative burden on the ministry, and at the same time the people do not benefit from them. These schools still remain the property of their owners, and we demand through the power of the law that the ownership of these schools entirely go to the state.”
“There are about 200 of these schools under the supervision of the state”, Shiha explained, saying that these schools are used for recruitment, not education, with their owners seeking to harm the state and so must not be supported.
“There should no education that graduates youth with the bloody thoughts we are countering now. The generations need to be educated on the same values and education. All of this has not been translated into a strategic direction, nor is it reflected in the government program,” Shiha said.
Shiha also expressed hope that the state would be able to provide an equal level of education quality for all citizens, providing the finest education for the least money.
The Terrorist Entities Law, first applied in February 2015, states that the public prosecution should prepare two lists, including one on terrorist entities and another on defendants labeled as terrorists.
The June 30 Schools are dozens of private schools that had links to the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, considered a terrorist organization by the Egyptian authorities.
These schools had been confiscated by authorities in 2014 and the Education Ministry took them over, naming them after the June 30 revolution that toppled President Mohamed Morsi.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
