Egypt’s Ministry of Education has mandated sweeping new safety protocols for private schools operating under international curricula, following a high-profile child sexual assault case at a Cairo school that ignited public outrage.
In a circular issued Sunday, the ministry laid out urgent directives schools must implement to safeguard students. The move came just a day after authorities placed Seeds International School in Cairo under full financial and administrative supervision.
They also referred several staff members for legal investigation over allegations of sexual assault and harassment against multiple children inside a classroom.
Under the ministry’s new order, schools are now required to upgrade surveillance systems, ensuring that every corner, including classrooms, is covered by security cameras. Multiple staff members must monitor the footage in real time, with any violations immediately reported to the school principal.
Regular drug testing of all school employees is now compulsory. Physical safety awareness must be embedded into training plans year-round, accompanied by awareness campaigns and student activities, according to the statement.
The ministry also banned the presence of maintenance and security staff on campus during school hours and prohibited the movement of any school bus, whether owned by the school or contracted externally, without a school-approved female supervisor on board.
Each school bathroom must now be supervised by two female staffers, who remain in place before and after the school day. Schools have two weeks to submit background checks for all employees, including a copy of each staff member’s criminal record, and to validate contracts and work permits for all foreign staff.
Additional measures include banning students from entering the school earlier than 15 minutes before the morning assembly and prohibiting school principals from leaving before the last student departs.
Kindergarten and primary students must be under continuous supervision in classrooms and on buses. Security logs must be enforced at all gates and corridors to monitor access and student movement.
The ministry's crackdown follows a wave of parental complaints alleging their children were sexually abused by janitorial staff at Seeds International School. The school confirmed in a statement that it had received reports from the parents of a boy and a girl, accusing three janitors and one security guard of inappropriate and abusive conduct.
The school said it took full responsibility for student safety, facilitated police investigations, and provided surveillance footage. It has since increased staff oversight, restricted access to certain facilities to female personnel only, and expanded technological surveillance.
The Seeds case is not an isolated incident. In recent months, public prosecutors have referred multiple educators to disciplinary hearings over similar abuse allegations.
In 2020, Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court upheld the dismissal of a teacher who sexually harassed 120 female students in Alexandria. The court’s ruling acknowledged the existence of widespread sexual abuse in schools and criticized state institutions for their failure to protect children.
Just last week, a Beheira appeals court reduced the sentence of an 80 year-old private school accountant from life in prison to 10 years after convicting him of repeatedly sexually assaulting a kindergarten student using force and threats. The case has drawn national attention since it surfaced in April.
