Egyptian expatriates living and working in the Kingdom have begun sending their sons to study in Gulf universities instead of the universities in Egypt fearing their involvement in the ongoing students’ protests and clashes with security authorities in Egypt.

Egyptian universities have become the hotbed of frequent protests by Mursi’s supporters, mainly students, since his ouster last July.

The protests have largely ended in clashes with security forces since a government decree in November granted police access to university campuses without prior permission.

The political turmoil in Egypt has forced its nationals living in the Kingdom to seek other options for their sons’ higher education. The Gulf universities in the UAE represent one of these options. Some want their children to study in Bahrain. “The fee of these universities is very high but we have no other option,” they said.

“I have sent my son to the UAE to study in the University of Sharjah to complete his studies as it is not safe to send him back home,” Radwan Elwan who is working in a private construction firm in Jeddah, said.

“Egypt has become a risky country so I decided to send my children to the Gulf States where there are good universities and it is safe,” said Hasan Al-Ayobbi, who has two sons studying in Bahrain.

“I don’t want my sons to be involved in these protests. I have to ensure a safe environment to help them to focus on their under graduate programs. Therefore, I have sent them to study in Dubai,” Dr. Essam Attallah, who is working in a private hospital, said.

However, Egyptian expats earning average incomes of less than SR6,000 are forced to send their sons to study in Egypt because they cannot bear the high cost of private universities in Gulf countries. Mohamed Abdul Khaleq, an Egyptian who lives in the Kingdom and has been forced to send his sons to Egypt said, “I can’t afford to send my sons to the Gulf countries because of the high costs of university fees so I have sent my sons back to Egypt despite the ongoing protests,” adding that he had no alternative.