British universities criticised over pursuit of Egyptian links | Education | The Guardian
▻https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/aug/22/uk-colleges-accused-of-ignoring-human-rights-abuse-in-egypt
Leading British universities have been accused of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in Egypt in pursuit of opening campuses under the country’s authoritarian regime.
More than 200 prominent academics and others in the UK university sector have signed a letter to the Guardian opposing the collaboration against the backdrop of unanswered questions about the abduction and murder of the Cambridge PhD student Giulio Regeni.
The letter writers also highlight wider concerns about academic freedom, the welfare of LGBT staff, and the trend towards what they say is a marketisation of higher education.
The British government and the advocacy group Universities UK are promoting partnerships between British higher education institutions and their Egyptian counterparts.
A series of memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreements and talks have opened up the possibility of British bodies establishing international branch campuses and what Universities UK describes as “partnerships, collaborative research, student and staff exchange programmes, joint funding applications, and capacity building”.