As Egypt votes on its new constitution, the government is taking control of the vast network of schools once run by the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. According to some reports, the Brotherhood controlled nearly 400 private schools in Egypt—174 of which have now “returned to Ministry of Education administration,” according to Mahmoud Abo El-Nasr, Egypt’s minister of education. “The ministry will focus on improving the educational process in these schools, and for the first time parents will participate in school administration,” he added.
In December of 2013 the Egyptian government designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, and began seizing the organization’s assets and arresting its supporters. Shortly thereafter, the Ministry of Education issued a statement saying that any private school with a board of directors comprising more than five per cent Brotherhood members would be nationalized under the new policy. The ministry will now nominate new headmasters for the 147 schools they have nationalized so far.
The Brotherhood had been involved in maintaining a vast social services network, running charities, hospitals, and schools. The recent crackdown has forced the shutdown of many of these services, including an initiative to provide school supplies. Last year, protests against the brotherhood provided a backdrop for the beginning of the school year.
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Written by Alex Leedom