Maged El-Deeb, president of Ain Shams University, has officially submitted his resignation letter to the Egyptian Minister of Higher Education, Moataz Khorshed.

El-Deeb’s resignation came after the university’s professors started a strike last Saturday – the first day of the Autumn term – to push for El-Deeb’s resignation in order to conduct elections to replace him, as he was appointed under the Mubarak regime.

Khorshed had announced earlier in the day that El-Deeb informed him that his resignation is in process. Most of the faculty deans in Ain Shams University have also resigned.

Students have also supported the professors’ demands, staging a protest last Sunday which involved around 2,500 students and called for El-Deeb’s resignation.

The situation in Ain Shams was due to escalate, after threats from students to join the professors’ strike by next week.

A total professors’ strike was planned for tomorrow. Students were also planning to stage a large protest on the same day to support the professors.

Professors, supported by students, are organizing a protest movement in several universities across the country to force the government of prime minister Essam Sharaf to fire all university presidents and deans who were appointed by Mubarak during his 30-year dictatorship.

Sharaf had promised professors last spring that democratic elections on campuses will take place at the beginning of the current school year, but was forced to withdraw his commitment due to lack of support for that move by Egypt's ruling military council.

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