Egypt’s interim cabinet has decided to further postpone the start of the second half of the school year from 22 February until 8 March.
According to Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website, the postponement will continue until security is restored and universities and affiliated facilities are refurbished following damages from recurrent clashes and student protests on many campuses across Egypt.
All other schools will also open their doors on 8 March.
Following the popularly-backed military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July, Morsi supporters have organised near-daily demonstrations against the country’s interim authorities. The country’s universities have been at the heart of the political turmoil since the start of the school year in August.
This is the second time authorities have postponed the start of the second term. Early in February, Egypt’s health ministry announced that the term would be delayed due to the outbreak of swine flu across the country, which has killed tens over the past few months.
According to official statistics, Egyptian school students in the 2012-2013 school year were estimated at 18,298,786. University students in the 2009-2010 year were estimated at 1,587,323.
Source : Ahram online
