Over the past few weeks, the Ministry of Education has been warning unlicensed schools owned by the Muslim Brotherhood to legalise them. School owners, however, have turned a deaf ear and have not responded to the ministry's warnings. The number of MB schools across Egypt is estimated at 76, 16 of which were built during the one-year rule of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi without getting the required licence from the ministry. The remainder was established during the regime of former president Hosni Mubarak. Minister of Education Mahmoud Abul-Nasr stressed that officials who facilitated the building process of such schools have been penalised. He said Salwa Ghazal, a former manager of the private education sector at the ministry, had been dismissed because she was affiliated to the Brotherhood and permitted the establishment of the schools without issuing them any licences. Among the major violations committed by Islamist schools was teaching students extra subjects which are not approved by the ministry. In addition, they substituted the country's national anthem Beladi Beladi with their own anthem Jihadi Jihadi. Shahinaz Al-Desouki, deputy to the minister of education, said, “Al-Hoda wal-Nour School was forcing students to chant slogans in the morning like ‘O God Almighty' and ‘Long Live the Islamic Nation',” said Al-Desouki. Islamist schools have been teaching students two extra subjects: one called Ethics, the other Human Rights in Islam. Abul-Nasr told the press, “One could be deceived in these subjects. When the ministry's technical committee examined these books, they discovered they were teaching their students ideology of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt Hassan Al-Banna and his successor Sayed Qutb”. Al-Desouki told Al-Ahram Weekly that the minister's surprise visits to schools all over the country will continue. “The minister will visit any school at any time, so be prepared.” During this academic year, all textbooks used in Egypt's school system will be reviewed and amended according to academic principles and for the students' welfare. “By next year all books will be cleansed of any unnecessary material. The curricula reform will not be restricted to governmental schools,” Al-Desouki added, but will also extend to include language and experimental schools. For the time being, the ministry, according to Al-Desouki, will send 1,200 technical committees every week to check on Islamist schools. “These schools must abide by the ministry's curricula. Moreover, the committees will check on whether these schools are still obliging its students to chant their own anthem or the country's national anthem,” said Al-Desouki. Among other violations of Islamist schools, according to Al-Desouki, was a drastic raise in the schools' annual fees. “The increase ranged from between 10 to 15 per cent more than the stated fees which are approved by the ministry,” she said. Male teachers working at these schools were wearing the galabeya while female teachers the face veil even during class. “This is against school regulations. How can a teacher wear a face veil while teaching students? This is against human rights. The teacher won't be able to interact with the students and vice versa,” said Al-Desouki. According to Abul-Nasr, all Islamist schools will be under the ministry's administrative and financial supervision. Many parents said they had removed their children from schools run by the Muslim Brotherhood because teachers are trying to politically influence the students. Mahasen Ismail, a housewife and a mother of three students, was surprised when her elder son came home one day telling her that his teacher said anyone who is not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood is an atheist. “I couldn't listen to this nonsense. I transferred him two weeks after the start of the academic year. I saw hell while transferring him, but it was much better than finding my son killing me one day because I am not an MB member,” said Ismail. “More than 12 Islamist teachers have been transferred to administrative posts at the ministry,” Al-Desouki said. “They were banned from teaching because they were giving wrong information to the students. The ministry will ask for the help of Al-Azhar to teach students Islam and its proper and moderate instructions.” She added there are very few Islamist employees at the Ministry of Education. “They are working under the direct supervision of the minister himself in order to prevent them from committing further violations.” At the same time, Al-Desouki denied allegations that the minister had banned teaching religion or prayers at these schools. All Islamists schools are owned by Muslim Brotherhood affiliates, but none of the owners is among any of the group's leaders or its big shots. Among Islamists schools which have been put under the ministry's supervision are the International Muqattam School, Muslim Generation School, International Janna Dan School, Amjad School, Al-Fath Private School and The Preachers School.
