Egyptian educational groups and unions called for mass protests next Saturday demanding the dismissal of Minister of Education Ahmed Gamal Eddin Moussa and purging the educational system of corrupt figures.
The teachers urged political movements and parties, doctors and the 9 March Movement for the Independence of Universities to join the protest in front of the cabinet building, demanding minimum and maximum wages be set.
The Egyptian Teachers Union refused to attend next week's meeting called for by the Ministry of Education, aimed at convincing teachers to cancel the demonstration and look into ways to achieve their demands.
“The Egyptian Teachers Union refused to attend the meeting because the ministry has failed to provide solutions to the teachers’ demands so far, and have been continuously trying to circumvent them,” said Abdel Nasser Ismael, representative of the union.
The protest's slogans will include demands to change the entire educational system, he said, adding: “We demand an increase in the education budget to ensure a better future for Egyptian children."
He emphasized the need for coordination among political forces, political parties, youth movements, teachers' unions and everyone else interested in changing the educational system, inviting them to join the protest.
However, the head of the Independent Teachers Union, Hassan Ahmed, declined the invitation to join Saturday's protest.
Teachers have been organizing mass protests since the beginning of the school year in September, demanding higher wages and the dismissal of corrupt leaders in the ministry, while students protested on 28 September for a better education system that provides resources for scientific and technological developments.
