CAIRO: After a week's delay, over three million university students are finally back to school this week, amid what they deem "ineffective precautionary measures. The Ministry of Higher Education said it is prepared to fight a virus outbreak on campuses, without disrupting the student life and academic process. "The ministry raises the slogan of 'Do Not Exaggerate or Underestimate' in its proactive plan to combat the virus, Hani Helal, minister of higher education, said, "spreading panic among students would do more harm than good. Hilal announced that extreme measures are to be taken only in accordance with the degree of the spread of the virus. This, he said, may include the suspension of classes to shutting down campuses altogether. Hilal advised students experiencing symptoms to stay home for at last one week. Cairo University underwent renovations to accommodate its 300,000 students under the ministry's precautionary measures which include the maintenance of lecture halls, labs and libraries. Students were also divided among classes, which will be conducted over 12 hours for six days a week. "The plan runs on three axes, said Hossam Kamel, president of Cairo University, "The first is raising health awareness through campaigns on campus, the second is dealing with suspected cases referring them to on-campus clinics, and finally coordinating between universities and the health ministry. Sayed Genena, head of Cairo University's dorms, said that 5 percent-20 percent of the dorms' rooms are dedicated to isolating suspected cases. He explained that inspection visits are regularly conducted to the cafeterias, the rooms, the kitchens and the halls. Many public universities are considering broadcasting lectures on television and online. "As part of our efforts to decrease the number of students in lectures, Ain Shams University has adopted several alternatives, including broadcasting lectures on the two satellite TV channels owned by the university, Ahmed Zaki Badr, president of Ain Shams University, said. While university staff laud the measures imposed by the ministry and implemented on campus, students say they are "ineffective, decorative procedures. "The awareness campaign on our campus is no more than some posters and flyers, using music to attract students but with no real effectiveness, said Sally Mahmoud, a student at the arts faculty of Ain Shams University. Students say the deployed ambulances on campus are either closed or lack medication. Students were also skeptical about the ministry's regulations, deeming some of them impractical, such as decreasing the number of students to 300 per class especially in populated universities such as Cairo, Ain Shams, Helwan and Al-Azhar Universities. Adel Salama, senior student at the Faculty of Commerce, Cairo University, said, "Toilets suffer from severe negligence particularly in faculties known for their large number of students. It is undoubtedly fertile ground for the spread of swine flu. However, campus janitors blame students for inefficiency of the imposed precautionary measures. "What really sabotages all our efforts is students' behavior; they don't adopt hygienic measures in accordance with the new circumstances, Aisha, a cleaning woman at Cairo University, said, "we clean with detergents that were provided to us directly by the dean. The Ministry of Higher Education also issued a controversial decision preventing external students from entering campuses as a way of reducing the number of students inside. External students are now obliged to study at home and can only attend classes on Fridays. These students are ones who had scored low grades in high school but are allowed to attend classes at certain universities in return for relatively high fees. If they perform well in the first year of university they are allowed to continue as regular full-time students. "It is unfair to attend all our lectures on only one day, we can't learn by staying in front of a television or a computer; such lectures need interaction, said Zeinab, an external student. "Why are they discriminating between us and regular students? she asked. The World Health Organization said last week that suspending classes appears to be the most effective way of preventing the virus from spreading, as flu swells among children and young adults due to their proximity in classrooms, camps, dorms and similar large gathering spots. Though the WHO declared that it would not issue a definitive guidance on whether or not school closures should be implemented.
