(DNE File Photo)
By: Nourhan Dakroury
Students at Nile University have been struggling for nearly two years to recover ownership of three buildings which had been given to Zewail Science City by former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq’s government.
The court announced its verdict on 24 April, returning full ownership of the buildings to the university, but no action has been taken since, said Nader Abdel Qader of the Research Students Association at Nile University.
Abdel Qader said that the Zewail Science City researchers refuse to vacate the buildings, leaving Nile University researchers to do their research and experiments at home, or in other research centres.
He added that the university offered to let the Zewail Science City researchers stay in the buildings if they still have not finished their research after the buildings are returned to the university, but they refused.
According to Abdel Qader, Nile University officials met with government officials twice last week to discuss the matter.
The Minister of Higher Education said that the verdict clearly stated that all buildings belong to the university, but the matter must be discussed in a Ministerial Committee before it goes into effect, said Abdel Qader.
He added that the university will give Zewail Science City until 1 June to evacuate the building.
“If we don’t get the buildings back by then, we will have to file a lawsuit against the company and the government for defying the court’s decision,” Abdel Qader said.
