The head of Cairo University Gaber Nassar has said that campus dormitories will not open their doors again to students until “radical repairs” has taken place, after a balcony in one of the buildings recently collapsed.

Nassar told the Ahram Arabic news website on Wednesday that three buildings were undergoing thorough maintenance in preparation for the new academic year.

He said that some of the dormitories were still housing medical students, as they sit their exams.

On Sunday, a balcony on the fifth floor of building number nine in the women’s dormitories collapsed, but without causing any casualties.

There have previously been complaints over the quality of dormitory facilities.

Several food-poisoning incidents have been reported from kitchens on Egyptian campuses over the past two years.

Maintenance in dormitories across Egyptian universities normally takes place during the summer vacations.

Almost 170,000 students had enrolled in undergraduate studies at Cairo University for the academic year 2014-2015, Nassar said in January.

According to Cairo University's official website, the dormitories can house up to almost 10,000 students.