Higher Education Ministry restricts admission to certain colleges; institutes to male students only

The Ministry of Higher Education in the transitional government announced today, Thursday, the issuance of university admission preference announcements for the 2026–2027 academic year, including the allocation of a number of specializations and departments exclusively to male students, without allowing female students to apply.

The decision applies to a number of colleges and institutes, including the College of Humanities and Administrative Sciences, in the fields of Legal Sciences and Social Sciences, as well as the College of Security Sciences and the Technical Institute of Security Sciences.

The specializations designated for male students also include the Technical Institute of Railways, the Technical Institute of Oil and Gas, and the Technical Institute of Media, specifically in the field of Radio and Television Production.

The admission preferences also include specializations in the Naval Military Academy, including Mechanical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Naval Engineering, and Aeronautical Engineering, in addition to Aeronautical Engineering at the Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology.

The admission preferences also listed specializations at the College of Humanities and Administrative Sciences, including Management and Economics, Legal Sciences, and Social Sciences.

The announcement comes amid criticism from women’s circles of the policies adopted by the transitional government, particularly regarding women’s participation in decision-making positions, alongside concerns that these policies could affect women’s opportunities in education and public life.

The ministry did not explain, in the announcement in question, the grounds or justifications on which it based the allocation of these specializations exclusively to male students and the exclusion of female students.

ANHA