The Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education has assumed full financial and administrative control of Seeds International School in Cairo after multiple school employees were accused of sexually assaulting and harassing children on campus.
In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said it had dispatched a high-level investigative committee immediately upon learning of the alleged crimes. The probe resulted in a decision to place the private school under direct state supervision and refer all complicit or negligent school officials to legal authorities.
“There is no crime more horrific than the violation of a child,” said Education Minister Mohamed Abdel-Latif. “Our children are entrusted to us. Any institution that fails to protect them, or disregards safety standards, will be met with the full force of the law.”
“Assaulting a child is an unforgivable crime. Responding decisively to such abuse is not optional. Safeguarding the dignity and safety of children is a national obligation,” he added.
The ministry’s move came after parents accused janitorial staff at the school of sexually abusing students inside one of the classrooms. Multiple complaints named three male janitors and one security guard as perpetrators.
In a statement, the school’s administration said it had received reports from the parents of a boy and a girl alleging that their children had been sexually harassed by staff members. The school claimed it contacted local police and provided surveillance footage and other evidence to investigators.
The administration also announced steps to increase campus safety, including more supervision, restricting access to certain areas to female staff only, and expanding surveillance systems.
Wider pattern of abuse
This is not an isolated case. Egyptian courts have recently referred several teachers to disciplinary hearings over similar sexual abuse cases. In 2020, Egypt’s top administrative court upheld the dismissal of a teacher convicted of sexually harassing 120 female students in Alexandria. The ruling acknowledged sexual harassment as a widespread problem in schools, citing institutional failures in addressing it.
Last week, an appeals court in Beheira reduced a life sentence to 10 years for a school accountant who was convicted of sexually assaulting a kindergarten child using threats and physical force. That case has drawn public outcry since it surfaced in April.
