Egyptian university students failing exams to pay extra tuition: new bill

CAIRO – 27 August 2020: The Egyptian government on Wednesday has approved a bill compelling university students who failed their exams and had to retake the course of a certain year to pay part of the cost the state bears to provide free education.

According to the bill, the cost will vary according to the number of times a student had failed the exam and the faculty he or she is enrolled in. A university president can also exempt a student from paying the fees in case he or she is unable to pay.

For faculties of medicine and dentistry, a student who failed his exam will have to pay between LE 6,000 ($378) and LE 12,000 ($757), while the tuition fees for the universities of engineering, computer and information sciences, pharmacy and physical therapy will range between LE 5,000 ($316) and LE 10,000 ($631). Students in the faculties of veterinary medicine, agriculture, science and nursing will pay between LE 4,000 and LE 8,000, while other faculties and institutes will pay between LE 3,000 to LE 6,000.

The fees will be allocated to improve educational services in the university, according to the bill.

Minsiter of Higher Education Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said the state has a commitment to provide free education for all Egyptian students, adding that bearing the cost of a course for students who failed their exams will badly affect the opportunities of other students in light of the state’s limited resources allocated for education.

Earlier in August, Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli said four private non-profit universities, as per a presidential order, in the areas of Alamein city, Suez, New Mansoura and South Sinai cities of El Tor, Sharm El Sheikh and Ras Sedr.

The four universities carry the name of King Salman International University, Alamein International University, New Mansoura University and El Galala University, Madbouli noted.

Madbouli noted that the move comes in light of the political leadership’s belief in the education’s role to advance societies, build states and get ready for the future’s challenges, state’s MENA reported.