As students experience power outages, Egyptians set up temporary study centers

In Egypt, churches, cafes, and libraries have stepped up to assist kids in studying for their important high school exams during a heatwave induced by rolling blackouts caused by a natural gas shortage.

Students who are experiencing power outages at home can now access the locations with their own generators, which include wedding halls and sports facilities. This week, the official duration of the outages was increased to three hours each day.

The majority of Egypt’s electricity is produced by burning natural gas.
Mostafa Madbouly, Egypt’s prime minister, stated on Tuesday that in order to stop power outages that are made worse by heatwaves that have increased demand for electricity, Egypt will have to import $1.18 billion worth of natural gas and mazut fuel oil.

Power outages have also been caused by variations in imports and declining domestic gas production.

He stated that starting in the third week of July, the administration plans to cease power outages for the remainder of the summer.

The education ministry reports that around 745,000 pupils are scheduled to sit for the exams this academic year. Which students are admitted to public universities is determined in part by the results.

On Tuesday, hundreds of students waited in line outside the air-conditioned Bibliotheca Alexandrina on the Mediterranean coast, hoping to get away from the heat. The library had made the announcement that, after hours, students could use its 2,000-seat reading hall for free.

Hassan Yazi, a high school student, said, “I came here because there are many services available, it’s a nice vibe, there’s internet, and the atmosphere is calm, which encourages us to study.”

The chief of security at the library, Khaled Saeed, stated that the high number of kids that showed up astonished the personnel.

Priest Yacoub Barsoum reported that the Coptic Church of Saint George in Alexandria uses its generator to power the student halls, including the internet.

“We try to provide simple things that we can afford like water, cold beverages, tea, so we can offer (students) a suitable atmosphere,” he stated.

After her building lost electricity for more than eight hours on Monday, Noura Saeed, a physician whose oldest daughter is a high school student, temporarily moved in with her sister in a gated community in Cairo that had reliable power.

She said, “We’re trying to cope.” “I tell my daughter to consider this move a change of scenery, I have to find a way to keep her calm.”

According to Saeed, some parents are holding study sessions in their houses because of their power outages.