Doaa El-Bey studies high school exams, while Rasha Saad monitors concerns over a foothold for Al-Qaeda In the hope of resolving the crisis out of court, the case of the two lawyers that sparked a confrontation between judges and lawyers was adjourned until 4 July. However, there are no signs of an imminent reconciliation . While the official daily Al-Ahram confirmed that the crisis would be resolved eventually, it questioned at what price and what are the measures to be taken to avoid a repetition. The newspaper's editorial said it was important to put the problem in its proper context; an individual act that should be resolved in such a framework without allowing anybody to use the situation for personal interests. In order to avoid a repeat, the edit added, the problem should be resolved by strictly applying the law away from "individual reconciliation". What is required, the edit emphasised, is to send a clear message that Egypt will not be tolerant with any violations and that although it respects its judges and lawyers, it reveres justice above all else. Gamal Hussein wrote that the crisis escalated in a dangerous and unjustified way that led to demonstrations and sit-ins and which took everybody into a dark tunnel. Hussein said the problem was on every satellite channel, and that it was a chance for some to settle scores or pour oil on the fire. However, Hussein wrote in the official daily Al-Akhbar that there were facts that both groups should acknowledge, namely that there is no contradiction between justice and defence; there is no justice without a judge and there is no justice without a defence lawyer; and that both groups complement each other. He added that the crisis should not have been left to reach such an extent and that wise people from both sides should have intervened to protect justice and preserve the rights, dignity and status of the judges as well as the lawyers. "No party will win at the end of this battle. Everybody will lose. And the result would be tarnishing the picture and venerable status of both lawyers and judges," Hussein wrote. The final exams of the thanaweya amma -- or high school certificate -- had an impact on every home in Egypt. The difficulty of some tests left many students and their parents in shock and prompted some to call for the sacking of Minister of Education Ahmed Zaki Badr. Some newspapers were no less critical of the minister. Al-Wafd 's banner headline on Saturday read, 'Badr avenges thanaweya amma students'. Abdel-Azim El-Basel wrote that when Badr became minister, he was welcomed by parents and students, and they encouraged him when he began to discipline schools which is the basis of the educational process. We were also happy when we heard his fiery statements on satellite channels that there would be no support for deviancy or undisciplined schools, or tolerance towards whoever violates the system. However, El-Basel added, "in Badr's first real test with the thanaweya amma exams, we were surprised by the difficulty of the Arabic, English and other exams despite the experimental tests conducted earlier to assess students." The writer asked the minister a few questions on behalf of the students: what did he mean five days before the exams, when he said he would go to the homes of whoever obtained over 85 per cent in total marks to congratulate them? What was the impact of this on students? What was the use of the pilot exams which were completely opposite to the final exams? Why didn't the minister redistribute the grades in the English test after English teachers and experts admitted there were questions from outside the curriculum? And what does the minister think of the model answers of some subjects which the ministry admitted had mistakes? El-Basel hoped Badr would answer these questions clearly so as to maintain his image in the eyes of public opinion. Amani Sadeq agreed with El-Basel that many families were optimistic by the advent of Badr and by the positive steps he took to improve education. But all hopes were dashed with the difficult thanaweya amma exams, especially English. The state of the students after the English exam prompted Sadeq to ask her own set of questions: is not the amount of money the parents spend on private lessons enough after teachers decided not to teach in class? Is it not enough the state of emergency thanaweya amma students and their parents live in even before the start of the school year? Is there a plan to reduce the number of students accepted in national universities in the interest of private universities? Sadeq appealed to decision-makers to "refer those who draw up exams to psychiatrists to make sure they are psychologically sound and do not suffer from any complexes," she wrote in the official weekly Akhbar Al-Yom. The death of Khaled Said, the young man from Alexandria, at the hands of the police shocked many people and shed light on the performance of the police. Mohamed Mustafa Shordi who said he was "disgusted" by the incident, expressed his wish that a government statement issued after the death would have denounced the police straight away and punish the accused so that we would not appear to the world as a state whose government is specialised in protecting corrupt people. Police insistence that Said died from an overdose of narcotics and that police officers did not beat him was naive and could hardly be believed by any Egyptian because we all know what happens "sometimes" in police stations. We all know, Shordi added, that suffocation from an overdose of narcotics does not break teeth or cause bloating in the face and other parts of the body. The incident led to another important issue: forensic science in Egypt. Shordi wondered, if the testimony of an eyewitnesses was right, that Said was beaten to death in a police station, how did the first forensic report confirm he was not? He also questioned what will guarantee that the second forensic report is fair. "There is no trust in governmental bodies, especially the police. As a result, people are reluctant to believe any official reports. The main issue is to reapply the principle of punishment, that is, whoever makes a mistake should be punished even if he is a policeman, in the hope society will regain trust in the government," Shordi wrote in the daily Al-Wafd, the mouthpiece of the opposition Wafd Party.
