As disgruntled students protest against skyrocketing tuition fees, Ain Shams University administrators are stuck between a rock and a hard place, Ghada Abd El-Kader reports "How will my father pay this huge sum?" asked Asmaa apprehensively, upon learning of the sudden drastic hike in Ain Shams University tuition fees for academic year 2007/08. Asmaa is a freshman in the Eastern Languages Department of the Faculty of Arts at Ain Shams University and, being in a family with seven other siblings and a father who is a government employee, to come up with the money for the fees seems almost hopeless. Ain Shams is joined by 18 other Egyptian public universities in the current move to raise fees. According to the government's Information and Decision Support Centre, Egypt's information portal, the total number of enrolled college students in Egypt in the year 2006/7 was 1,447,413, with an increase of nearly half a million students compared to the previous academic year. Out of this total, a mere 49,400 students are enrolled in 15 private universities, while Ain Shams University alone has over 172,100 enrolled students according to its official website. In reaction to an almost 400 per cent hike in tuition fees, seven students from Ain Shams University's Faculty of Engineering founded Rabetat Haqi, My Right Association (MRA), several months ago. According to student Ahmed Debes, MRA's official spokesperson, Ain Shams University's annual tuition fees for sophomore students rose to LE227 from LE48 last year, while the preparatory year fees rose to LE127 from LE38 the previous year. In addition, there is an extra sum of around LE500 for the books and LE300 for geometrical tools required in some faculties. To top it all, students who delay or do not pay the first term tuition fees, are charged double for the second term. Soad and Madiha are third year Psychology Department students. They complain they had to buy the books instead of photocopying them because every book has a questions supplement that the professor marks and awards grades for. "MRA is still being established. Until now, we don't have our own website," Debes told Al-Ahram Weekly. "Our association does not belong to any political or religious parties. We have Muslim, Christian, veiled and unveiled student members." The association's main goal is to solve the problems that face students, at the top of which is the current tuition dilemma. MRA organised three peaceful demonstrations at the Faculty of Engineering to express the discontent of more than 500 students, professors and staff members headed by members of the 9th of March Movement. The movement is a union of university professors who are calling for the respect of decisions made through the Students' Union without interference from the university's security guards. Ain Shams University students have been demonstrating in demand for lowering tuition fees, improving the conditions of laboratories, bathrooms and classrooms and subsidising textbooks. Ironically enough, it was these demands that caused the drastic increases in tuition in the first place. Atef El-Awam, vice-president of Ain Shams University for Education and Student Affairs, assured the Weekly that the services the university offers its students is costly. As a governmental institution, the university is financed by nominal fees, which cannot keep up with the huge number of students enrolled every year. "I believe that capable middle class students should cooperate with the university to shoulder some of the costs of the educational services provided," El-Awam said. To upgrade services, equipment and facilities, El-Awam said the university was forced to raise tuition fees by approximately LE50 in theoretical faculties and LE100 in the practical ones. The current fees in theoretical faculties is LE102 (broken down as LE32 in regular fees, LE20 for medical services and LE50 for educational services development). Fees in practical faculties rose to LE172 (LE52 in fees, LE20 for medical services and LE100 to develop educational services). "A typical student pays between LE102 and LE172 annually, which is some LE7 per month. In my opinion, this is not a very big deal and does not deserve all this propaganda in the media." Meanwhile, El-Awam said the government has set up a social solidarity fund that conducts discrete research on students' social conditions to determine their eligibility for financial aid. An eligible student would receive entire coverage for university expenses from the fund, including fees for tuition, books, medical treatment and the hostel. "A student living in the hostel costs the university around LE700, of which he pays only LE60. Can you imagine the kind of financial burden this implies on the university?" El-Awam said. To manage the expected surge in student enrollment this year, El-Awam said Ain Shams University has established a new fund financed by university resources called the Students Subsidisation Fund. In addition, the government has allocated 150 acres of land in Al-Obour City to cater for more students. However, Shaymaa, a second year Arabic Department student, thinks the new fund will not make a difference in the current academic year. "The subsidisation will start after the background checks take place when students will already have paid half the fees in advance," she said. "This year, I paid LE117 in tuition and LE150 for books and materials. Any official document stamped with the university logo costs around LE10. If a student fails a subject, he pays LE20 for each subject and if you don't pay the fees, you are not allowed to enter the library." Mustafa Zidan, deputy general of the Scientific Research Department, insists that the university is committed to using the extra tuition money to provide good services for students, such as cultural and social activities, Students' Union support, subsidising meals and buses and building and maintaining grounds and playgrounds. He said improvements will be felt in the coming year. Nevertheless, an MRA questionnaire filled out by some 6,000 students revealed that 60 per cent of the students have not felt any positive developments after the tuition hikes. Around 48 per cent were adversely affected financially and 50 per cent thought it was time the students spoke out to demand their rights. Ahmed Saber, a Faculty of Engineering student and member of MRA, said that two university officals had promised a statement would be released soon explaining how the university plans to use the funds from the increased tuition. Saber and Debes agree on the need of vast and rapid upgrades of lab equipment and other facilities. "Practical college students like us have to share one antiquated device among six people. That's not a way to learn," Debes said. Changes will be felt after the current initial stage of resource collection, El-Awam elucidated. "This is the first sum of money we collect this year and the process needs a minimum of one academic year to make a difference," he said. "In order to really develop these public universities, we need support from the community. I invite businessmen to contribute because there are so many resources needed. We would like to turn all our libraries into electronic libraries to keep pace with the world. We should aim at attaining an international ranking among global universities." Deputy-Dean of Education and Students Affairs Ibrahim Shaker said it was quite appropriate for students, who are receiving the services, to contribute in a small way in funding them. Meanwhile, Debes believes the university should think seriously about starting a new relationship with the MRA and its members that is grounded on mutual trust and transparency.
