By Renad Ghanem
CAIRO — A local court in Egypt has issued verdict against the American University in Cairo (AUC) to collect all tuition fees from local students in Egyptian Pound instead of US Dollar, after a group of parents sued the university for recent fees hike after the currency floating.
Parents sued the university for changing the payment currency type from local EGP to US dollar after the floating that led to doubling the tuition fees as the US dollar value doubled.
The American University is considered as one of the leading universities in Egypt and also ranked the second best university in the Middle East and North Africa region and 365th worldwide, according to an annual ranking released by QS World University Rankings.
Ahmed Hany, a student at the AUC commented on the verdict as “Most fair one.”
“My parents were going insane after the AUC decision, after the floating to collect the tuition fees in US Dollar. The US dollar valued 8.88 before the floating but after the floating it approached 18 EGP. My parents were planning to find another university for me and my sisters, but now I’m thankful that we will be able to continue our education there,” said Ahmed.
Joumana Emad, a mother of two students at the AUC told Saudi Gazette that the verdict was fair for them, because it’s hard for the parents of the students to transfer their children from the university as they are seeking for a good education. She added that the university is also considered as the most expensive university in Egypt.
"We respect the judiciary," AUC's media relations director Rehab Saad told Ahram Online following the court verdict. She added that the university administration still does not have a position on the verdict and will hold a meeting later to decide on a statement.
