Hundreds of students gathered at the American University in Cairo campus today to protest an increase in tuition fees following the recent floating of the Egyptian pound against the US dollar.
The student union posted a statement on their Facebook page on 4 November saying that the increase in tuition is “not manageable,” with protesting students raising the slogans “education is not a luxury” and “budget cuts and tuition increase don’t mix.”
The union held a public student forum on Sunday to discuss this “critical situation,” and has suspended the protests pending a meeting with the university administration on Wednesday.
The Central Bank of Egypt liberalised the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound last Thursday, with the cost of goods and services expected to rise in the coming period.
