Nine members of parliament submitted a motion yesterday calling on parliament to revoke confidence from the ministers of education and higher education. The MPs say the ministers are responsible for deteriorating secondary and tertiary education systems. The motion came in the first parliamentary session on interpellations this term. Abdel Alim Daoud, Wafd representative, accused Minister of Higher Education Hany Helal of illegally allocating money to security services at universities, which Daoud says compromised universities' independence. Ministers cited the allocation of LE1.6 million for security at the Assiut University, and another LE1 million for Alexandria University, as well as similar practices at other schools. Representative Ahmed Abu Baraka of the Muslim Brotherhood accused Minister of Education Yousry el-Gamal of eliminating teachers based on security reports, which he considers a breach of the law. Abu Baraka noted that MPs from the ruling National Democratic Party had submitted around 200 similar motions regarding the failing education system during previous sessions of parliament. Independent MP Gamal Zahran said that extra fees imposed on students by the government amount to corruption and disregard for the law. The motion to revoke confidence in the ministers was dropped following a vote in which the NDP majority opposed the motion. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
