CAIRO: The State Council adjourned Tuesday the hearing in the case filed by Misr University for Science and Technology (MUST) for graduate certificate accreditation against the Minister of Higher Education Hani Helal and private universities trustee Hatem Al-Bolok to Oct. 17. The case was filed after the ministry refused to accredit certificates of graduates who did not meet the minimum required number of years at the university, and to allow more than two classes to graduate per year. University legal representatives argue that MUST is not in violation of any laws, and that the certificate accreditation delay is unjustified. “Law 49 does impose a minimum number of semesters, but this law governs public universities only,” says Zakareya Serag, MUST councilor. “According to Law 101, private universities operate by the credit hour system, in which there are three semesters a year unlike the public universities' system where there are only two semesters a year. This consequently gives us the right to graduate three classes per year at a minimum of three and a half years spent in the university,” he added. George Atef, public relations manager in October University for Modern Science and Arts (MSA), another private university following the credit hour system, confirmed that they graduate three classes per year. This legal dispute is not the first between MUST and the Ministry of Higher Education. Disputes regarding the capacity limit of the university, and the minimum score of accepted students at a given major have led to the suspension of faculties of pharmacy, dentistry and medicine on the hands of the ministry to be reopened by a court order. Another dispute arose between the ministry and Sixth of October University and MUST about the naming of faculties of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and physiotherapy as separate entities rather than under the umbrella of ‘the applied medical college.' This dispute ended in favor of the two private universities by the Higher Administrative Court. While the hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17, Saeed Hawash, head of legal affairs at MUST said he will request that it be moved to an earlier date.
