Egypt’s cabinet media centre denied, on Sunday, reports of the cancellation of university second-semester exams.
The centre said that it had contacted the Ministry of Higher Education, which refuted the rumour.
The Ministry of Higher Education also issued a statement on Saturday evening denying it cancelled the university examinations for the second semester.
The Supreme Council of Universities urged social media users to seek accuracy and objectivity before publishing news. It also recommended contacting the concerned bodies before circulating baseless information to avoid legal liability.
Last week, the ministry cancelled mid-term examinations at universities, and to add its scores to the examinations for the second semester.
On 14 March, the government decided to suspended schools and universities for two weeks, with the suspension later extended for another two weeks.
Minister of Education Tarek Shawki announced on Friday that preparatory students will not take second semester examinations. Students will instead prepare research papers for every course studied until 15 March and submit these online.
For Thanaweya Amma students, Shawki added that they will take their final exams as scheduled inside schools. Full consideration for health precautions will be in place to ensure the safety of students and to increase examination committees to avoid crowding.
The government has taken strict measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) across the country. It has suspended flights, schools, universities and imposed a partial nationwide curfew among other precautionary measures.
Egypt’s total number of coronavirus infections increased on Saturday to 576 cases, including 36 deaths.
