Many of the students were left shocked when the institutes they were studying at suddenly closed. Some of the students had just completed their semester exams and were planning to return to the Kingdom for midterm holidays.
Abdullah Yousuf, a Syrian student studying communication engineering at a private university in Cairo, recently arrived in Jeddah having finished his exams two days before the protests began.
He said that the Egyptian government announced the closure of all schools and universities, something that has left many students afraid they might not be able to continue with their studies.
“I’ve already wasted two years studying in Saudi Arabia before I went to Egypt. I’m afraid of wasting even more time. Even If I want to come back, I have to wait for the university to reopen,” he said.
Abdullah has finished his first semester and is unsure whether the university will open for the next semester. “Me and my fellow students don’t even know whether we’ve passed the exams,” he said.
Shaima Al-Jawher, a Saudi student studying business management at a private college in Cairo, is planning to continue her studies in Jeddah if the political situation in Egypt does not improve.
“I am seriously thinking of transferring to a university or college in Jeddah because I can’t afford to waste any more time. Many of us are still uncertain when the next semester will start. I wish peace and prosperity for Egypt and that the uncertain situation comes to an end for the sake of all Egyptian people,” said Al-Jawher.
As a precautionary measure, she has contacted universities and private colleges in the Kingdom to get a transfer. However, on contacting a private college in Jeddah, she was told that she would only be accepted as a freshman.
Yasser Faraj, an undergraduate Palestinian student who was studying naval engineering in Alexandria, is afraid of what impact the protests might have on his studies and fears he will not be able to continue his education.
“I haven’t sat my exams yet. For safety reasons, the university has closed its doors until further notice. The timing was bad because I am working on my graduation project. I don’t know whether the political problems will continue or will be resolved within one month. We were supposed to have only one month vacation before the second semester starts,” he added.
Faraj’s family lives in the Kingdom. He said he cannot transfer over to a Saudi college or university because expatriates are not permitted to study in Saudi universities.
Faraj is hoping the situation quickly improves.
Ahmad Al-Harbi, a Saudi student studying mass communications in Cairo, said studying in Egypt is better than elsewhere. “I can transfer to a university in Saudi Arabia, but there is a huge difference between studying mass communications in Egypt and studying the same in Saudi Arabia. Although I have still not finished my exams and everything has turned upside down in one day, I still have hope that the Egyptians will solve their problems very soon,” he said.
“As I want to specialize in radio and television, I have to get work experience at popular government or private TV channels in Egypt. I would never get such an opportunity here in the Kingdom. I will wait and see when I can go back to continue my studies,” he added.
Anas Alwan, a Syrian who has sent three of his sons to study in Egypt, has now found himself in a massive financial dilemma. “My three sons are studying medicine, engineering and dentistry in Cairo. Their mother is also living with them. If their studies stops, I still won’t be able to bring them back to the Kingdom,” he said.
“Although there are many private colleges in Saudi Arabia that provide the same types of education, I won’t be able to register my sons. In Egypt, I pay around SR80,000 a year in university fees for my three sons but in the Kingdom I would be forced to pay around SR180,000 a year,” he added.
