CAIRO -
Despite government decisions that allow them to continue their studies in the country's universities, Egyptian students are living in a state of anxiety over their future after returning from Ukraine following the Russian war there.
Tomorrow, Thursday, the deadline granted by the government to complete the required documents and submit them to the Ministry of Immigration and Egyptians Abroad Affairs, in accordance with the decision of the Council of Ministers and in coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education, expires.
On the tenth of this March, the Council of Ministers decided to open the door for Egyptian students returning from Ukraine to complete their studies in private universities, but it set several controls, most notably each student providing proof of his studies in Ukraine before the outbreak of the war there, and that the university in Ukraine be recognized In Egypt, in addition to passing a test for scientific faculties, while those with theoretical specializations go directly to universities.
The Cabinet’s decision came in implementation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s announcement of the necessity of studying the conditions of Egyptian students studying in Ukrainian universities, and finding solutions to help those who wish to transfer to Egyptian universities, taking into account the exceptional circumstances that Ukraine is currently facing, and in the interest of the future of these students.
Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar revealed that the number of Egyptian students in Ukrainian universities is about 3,220, of whom 750 study in eastern Ukraine on the Russian border, and that there are 2,400 Egyptian students studying in the medical sector in Ukraine, including 1,584 studying human medicine, and others. They study pharmacy and dentistry, in addition to some students studying engineering.
safe shelter
Egyptian students see Ukraine as a safe haven to escape from the crisis of the coordination office in Egypt, which controls the wishes of high school students and determines their university future according to the highest grades, which represents an obstacle for many students wishing to enter what has become known as “top colleges,” which are Faculties of medicine and engineering for the scientific specialization, and the media, economics and political sciences for the literary specialization.
But the government’s decision to complete students’ studies in the same specialties after their return from Ukraine sparked controversy between the pioneers of social networking sites and students of top faculties. Some of them said that the returning students will enter medical faculties, even though some of them were literary majors in high school, and some of them obtained low grades.
On the other hand, others said that there is no problem with that, first from a humanitarian point of view, given the circumstances of the war that are beyond everyone's control, and the most important thing is that the students' desires and abilities should be the only determinant of the university's future, not the results of the coordination office.
anger and question
"We did not get 50% in high school, as many say through the communication sites. The lowest percentage obtained by any student among us is 80%," so the student Ahmed answered angrily in his speech to Al Jazeera Net.
Ahmed, who was studying dentistry in the fifth stage in Ukraine, confirmed that there are exams and a comprehensive study system, as he was studying at a recognized Ukrainian public university in Egypt.
The Egyptian student talked about what he described as the frightening dramatic context that he is facing now, fearing for his future, indicating that it is the same dramatic context that he experienced while escaping from the Russian bombing.
In high school, Ahmed’s group stood as an obstacle to entering the Faculty of Dentistry, which he had always aspired to study at, and despite the availability of an opportunity for him at an Egyptian private university, he preferred to study in Ukraine, after he and his family discovered the good educational level there and the academic and financial facilities that he found, compared to With the options before him in Egypt, according to his description.
Ahmed is fed up with the attack that he has been subjected to since his return from Ukraine, as a result of being attacked because of his studies abroad, especially since the universities in which he studies with his colleagues are recognized internationally and in Egypt. There has been a long discussion about the idea of entitlement to medical studies, and why we are allowed to study from the beginning despite the objection to our rates.”
Regarding the private universities that the government decided to complete the study in after passing the placement test, Ahmed says that their prices are very high, which is one of the most important reasons that prompted him to study in Ukraine, noting that it may reach about $13,000, while he was paying in Ukraine $5,200 per year, calling for opening the way to study in public universities, to support and support returning students.
Tuition expenses
In turn, the student Mustafa Ismail says that he - like many students - did not see that high school was the end, which made him go to study in Ukraine after obtaining a total of 88%, and although his total allowed him to enter the Faculty of Pharmacy at Sinai University, he preferred To enter the Faculty of Human Medicine and achieve his dream and ambition.
On his Facebook page, Mustafa called on the Ministry of Higher Education to take into account the conditions of students, and allow them to study in public universities, pointing to the high prices of studying in private universities compared to the prices of Ukrainian universities, especially since private universities in Egypt are not recognized in some countries abroad, and the student needs To conduct an equivalency procedure to recognize his certificate, while the certificate of Ukrainian medical schools is recognized in America and European countries, he said.
Mustafa reviewed the tuition fees in one of the Egyptian private colleges available to apply for, where the expenses of the academic year amounted to about 10 thousand dollars, calling for consideration of mercy for students, parents and matters, especially since many of them are worried about their future, in addition to the fact that they have already paid the expenses of the current academic year in universities. Ukrainian.
The Egyptian Universities Crisis
In this context, the educational expert Abdel Hafeez Al-Sayed considers that the return of Egyptian students from Ukraine is a crisis for the Ministry of Higher Education, given the lack of vacant places in public universities, due to the low number of universities compared to the population, and therefore each private college accepts scientific - and medical colleges in particular - numbers Limited number of students each year, which prompted the Ministry of Higher Education to provide places for students in private universities that could have vacant seats.
Al-Sayed, who is a director of a civil society organization concerned with educational affairs, pointed out that the problem of the lack of places in universities for students with the high cost of studying in private universities in Egypt makes many parents look for opportunities for their children abroad, adding that when a problem occurs like the one that occurred recently with students. Returning from Ukraine, students may face complications and problems, due to the different educational system.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Al-Sayed believes that students have limited options that depend directly on the flexibility of the Ministry of Higher Education in providing them with vacant places in private universities, or that they turn to the law in search of an opportunity in public universities, but they will face legal and procedural complications related to differences in educational systems and admission regulations, Finally, some of them can look for opportunities abroad again.