Did Egypt enforce gender segregation in universities?

Social media pages and accounts in Egypt have been circulating posts claiming that Egyptian authorities have decided to separate male and female classes in universities.

The posts shared on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) stated that the authorities had "officially decided to prohibit mixing in universities" starting from the 2024-2025 academic year. It was also claimed that six days of teaching each week would be equally divided between males and females.

However, Adel Abdel Ghaffar, spokesperson for the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, has denied these claims.

Abdel Ghaffar told AFP that the posts are "purely rumors with no basis in fact." He noted that the post initially appeared on pages that later clarified it as a joke, but it was taken seriously by other pages and accounts.

The Minister of Higher Education added that "segregating male and female students in universities is not under consideration at all." He also mentioned that this rumor "recurs periodically in nearly the same form."