Churches, mosques, cafes, hotels, and clubs have opened doors to high school students with an inspiring spirit of solidarity, offering a safe and conducive environment for them to study and prepare for the career-deal-breaker Thanaweya Amma exams.

Thanaweya Amma exams are critical for students and parents since they determine university prospects and, therefore, professional careers.

This year, more than 745,000 students across Egypt are taking the exams from 10 June to 20 July.

However, the exams coincide with daily power cuts that disrupt study and test-prep routines and a severe heatwave, exacerbating levels of stress among students and their parents.

Several churches in Alexandria governorate have initiated the move, announcing they welcome students seeking a quiet place to study during the power cuts.

Moreover, mosques nationwide have joined this humanitarian initiative, a source at the Ministry of Endowments told Cairo24 news website.

Some cafes, workspaces, and educational centres across governorates have also announced opening their doors free of charge for Thanaweya Amma students throughout the exam period.

In Port Said on the Suez Canal, a hotel management company announced that the "Nawras" hall will be available for students from 12 pm to 9 pm daily till the end of June, according to media reports.

The reports added that Al-Jazeera, Dikernes, and Al-Hiwar sports clubs in Mansoura City, Dakahliya Governorate in the central Nile Delta, have decided to open their social clubs and halls for students.

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the Mediterranean city also opened its doors for students throughout the exam period free of charge, on weekdays from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm and at weekends and holidays from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Students can enter by presenting their seat numbers.

'Incredibly stressful'
 

Amid current power cuts for over three hours daily, students have had to rely on candles and flashlights to study for the exams.

One student's mother complained that a six-hour power cut left her son in a precarious situation before his French exam.

"The sudden electricity cut has not only disrupted his study plans but also had severe health repercussions due to the oppressive heat and his low blood pressure," she said.

Another student lamented: "It was incredibly stressful. We had to go to nearby cafes to continue studying."

Youssef, a father whose daughter is in Thanaweya Amma, said: "My daughter was unable to focus on her revision. It's been an exhausting and worrying time for us."

Apologies and solutions
 

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly apologized to the nation because of ongoing power cuts nationwide.

Madbouly said power cuts would continue for three hours per day until the end of this week but would return to two hours per day starting next week.

He noted that the current crisis was triggered by a stoppage in one of the natural gas stations in "a neighbouring supply country" for 12 hours.

Since July 2023, the state has implemented a load-shedding programme that saw rolling power cuts of two hours across neighbourhoods nationwide.

This summer, the government decided an additional hour of power cuts was necessary to maintain the operational efficiency of the national electricity transmission grid and natural gas networks.

The government said increased power consumption this summer — amid ongoing scorching heatwaves exceeding 43 °C in Cairo and climbing over 46 °C in the deep south — put pressure on the mazut and natural gas supply needed for power generation.

The prime minister said Egypt will import mazut and natural gas shipments valued at around $1.18 billion, promising to halt nationwide power cuts from the third week of July till summer ends.

In May, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stated that the load-shedding programme aims to spare citizens from bearing the actual cost of electricity, which is double or triple the current pricing system.