Minister of Education Ibrahim Ghoneim stated on Tuesday that schools in Egypt would be open as usual on Tuesday, despite rival mass protests planned by supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi's controversial constitutional declaration.
Notably, a number of private schools have reportedly called students' parents to inform them that schools would be closed on Tuesday.
A number of public and private schools have also received notifications from the education ministry exempting students from class on Tuesday, while adding that teachers would still be obliged to go to work.
Tuesday's protests follow Morsi's surprise Thursday decree, which shields his decisions – along with parliament's Islamist-led upper house and Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution – from judicial oversight.
The planned protests come against the backdrop of days of intermittent clashes between protesters and police near Cairo's Tahrir Square, along with additional clashes since Thursday between supporters and opponents of Morsi's decree.
Morsi opponents plan to march on Tahrir Square on Tuesday, while the president's supporters will march towards Cairo University.
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