Cairo Engineering – Human Lives or Locked Gates?

Statement by the Revolutionary Socialists

At the start of the academic year, we were shocked to find iron gates installed at the entrances of the Architecture building, along with iron bars placed over the first-floor windows. A year earlier, the administration had fully renovated the main building, installing surveillance cameras across the campus and erecting metal fences around the faculty’s perimeter. The entrance to the Mechanical Engineering building was sealed off, and this year, a security room was built directly behind it. Additionally, students are now subjected to constant searches upon entry. In contrast, faculty students are barred from entering the main campus, and campus students are denied access to the faculty, alongside the ongoing crackdown on student activities.

From all this, one thing is clear: the faculty administration has the resources and determination to implement all these so-called “security measures.” Yet, at the same time, we were horrified by the tragic death of maintenance worker Ahmed Mostafa Abdel Wahab, known as “Aluminyia,” last Tuesday. He lost his life when a fire extinguisher exploded next to him—its expiration date had passed nearly two years ago after prolonged exposure to sunlight. Shockingly, all the faculty’s fire extinguishers expired and were only replaced last Thursday after his death. Was it too difficult for the administration to ensure that fire extinguishers were maintained before a worker lost his life?

This is not the first incident of administrative negligence costing lives. In the first few weeks of last year, student Mohamed Amr Abdel Wahab (a credit-hour student) fell down the stairs of the Preparatory Building. When students rushed to help, they found the clinic locked. After desperate attempts to get assistance, they broke the door—only to discover an empty clinic with no medical supplies. Meanwhile, the ambulance was delayed, as no emergency vehicle was stationed at the faculty or nearby. Mohamed took his final breath before he could receive medical attention.

So, after all this time, is it so difficult for the administration to:
• Allocate some resources to equip the clinic with essential medicines and first-aid supplies.
• Provide a doctor during school hours?
• Coordinate with emergency services to station an ambulance on campus or nearby.
• Improve workshops, labs, lecture halls, and drawing rooms.
• Offer financial assistance to students struggling to afford tuition fees.
• Ensure student housing is available at the beginning of the semester instead of forcing students to wait two weeks or more.

How does our administration define safety for students, faculty, and staff? Is it by restricting movement, keeping students under constant surveillance, and tightening control over their actions? Just last week, some students were harassed for attempting to enter with academic papers from the previous year—simply because “the papers were too many”! Or is it by forcing students to rely on outdated, unsafe resources and denying them proper healthcare?

Clearly, our administration’s focus is not on education nor the students, faculty, and staff who sustain it. Instead, they seem focused on implementing orders and diverting resources to transform the faculty into a prison.

For this reason, we urge all students to engage in discussions about the recent worker’s death and other past and present incidents that have hindered our education and well-being. We must also speak out about the conditions that prevent us from completing our studies properly. Join the conversation using the hashtag #Cairo_Engineering.