(AFP File Photo)
Students Against the Coup (SAC) reported that detained Al-Azhar secondary school students in the 10th of Ramadan district were deliberately disrupted by supervisors as they took their exams in detention on Saturday.
The group posted on its official page about the incident, alledging that security forces appointed supervisors from the banned National Democratic Party (NDP) to supervise the exams. Supervisors allegedly delayed the delivery of answer papers to students, distracted them while taking the test, and withdrew exam papers before the end of the specified duration of the exam.
The Head of the Azhari Institutes sector, Mohamed Abo Zeid, denied that there were any violations or disruptions during the exams. He added that examinations held in detention facilities follow certain procedures, and depending on the prison’s location, supervisors are selected from the same area.
“The 10th of Ramadan prison belongs to the governorate of Sharqeya, so we appoint supervisors from that area,” Abo Zeid said.
According to the head of Thanaweyya Amma exams at the Ministry of Education, Mohamed Saad, 96 imprisoned students will take the exams across the country.
The General Secondary Education Certificate (Thanaweyya Amma) is the primary route for students in Egypt to apply to the country’s universities, and is considered vital in deciding a student’s higher education path. The exams, held nationwide under the Ministry of Education’s supervision, started on Saturday.
In the past week, activists and rights lawyers have been citing ongoing arrests that targeted activists, especially the youth.
The Justice Center for Rights and Freedoms documented 359 violations against students in the month of May. The centre is a non-governmental organisation, focusing on academic freedoms, students’ rights, rights of prisoners, and violations against students.
According to the centre’s monthly report, 124 students were arbitrarily dismissed, and 116 were arrested; both figures signifying an increase compared to April’s figures. The report also documented a rise in enforced disappearances, especially within the last week of the month, with an estimated 25 cases of forcibly disappeared students.
Over 50 students have been detained from different universities during May, with claims from student movements that the arrests lack legality.
According to a recent Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) report, security forces have killed at least 21 students inside university campuses over the past two academic years. Hundreds of students have been arrested or forcibly disappeared.
