Coptic students in Egypt have long complained of being deprived of properly
celebrating Christmas because of end-of-term exams which usually fall during the
New Year/Christmas season. Coptic Christmas is celebrated on 7 January, and the
substantial number of Coptic students who study in Cairo or other major towns can
make no homecoming for Christmas. During the pre-Arab Spring Mubarak times,
an official decree made sure that no exams would be scheduled on Christian feast
days or on the days directly preceding or following them. This was a respite for
Coptic families, but it only applied to schools; the scheduling of university exams
were left to the discretion of college administration and faculty. It was thus
inevitable that, in case of hardline Muslim professors or administrative staff,
Coptic students would find it impossible to celebrate Christmas with their families
who live in the smaller towns or villages; it made no sense to travel far distances to
spend a mere few hours at home celebrating Christmas.
This year, 2016, promises to be no exception. After failing top persuade those in
charge of their colleges to keep the dates 6 and 8 January free of exams, a number
of Coptic students have sent a SOS to Prime Minister Sherif Ismail.
A female student in Assiut University complained to Watani that she had exams
scheduled for 6 January, Christmas Eve. “This is a day I should be spending with
my family in Qena, some 200km south of Assiut. The 200km are not, strictly
speaking, the problem. I have to take other, more tedious, transport means to reach
my home village. The winter weather is not always stable and, as matters stand, I
will probably be spending only a few hours at home then heading back to prepare
for the exam on 8 January.”
According to a young man studying in Ismailiya’s Suez Canal University, the
journey to his hometown of Assiut covers some 500km, again almost impossible to
take for Christmas at home then back and ready for a new exam on 8 January. “We
are calling upon the government to put an end to our suffering, and allow us to
spend Christmas with our families,” he said. “No-one can deny the importance of
family ties, and it is our right to adhere to and promote familial bonds. Strong
family relations serve the integrity of the entire community.”
Watani International
22 December 2015