A student union official at Al-Azhar University said there has been a marked improvement in the level of cleanliness and the behaviour of workers in Al-Azhar University dorms. The university has two dorms, one for its female students and another for its male students. Hussein Gaweesh, a student at the university, said the general cleanliness of the dorms has improved. Gaweesh described the improvements as gradual and added that such improvement is expected after the pressure the students have caused. Last month students from the dorms held protests objecting to the quality of the food served at the dormitories and the poor state of the buildings and facilities. Some female students were assaulted by university employees during the protests, increasing tensions between students and the university administration. Gaweesh says the quality of the food has not noticeably improved. Following March's protests and several meetings between different student bodies and university administration officials, two committees to monitor the improvements were set up, one for the male dorms and another for the female dorms. The committees were formed by the student union which is dominated by Muslim Brotherhood students after they achieved a sweeping majority during elections in March. The committees include members from outside the student union. Mohamed Ragab, a member of the male dorms committee, said there are committees to monitor the kitchen and whether workers in the dorms wear their uniforms or gloves. He said the monitoring is effective because it is carried out by students who can check the situation at any time, as opposed to officials who make scheduled appearances giving the cleaning staff time to prepare for their visits. Ragab was among the students who took part in protests in March. The students also demanded the removal of top university officials.
