CAIRO, Sept 24 (Aswat Masriya) – Minister of Higher Education Sayed Abdel Khalek hired a private security company to guard nine public universities during the coming academic year, the cabinet announced on Wednesday.

The cabinet discussed measures to be adopted in preparation for the new academic year, due to begin on Oct. 11, during its Wednesday meeting.

Abdel Khalek said that only students and university faculty and staff would be allowed into university campuses, after verifying their identities.

The cabinet also approved during its meeting a presidential decree amending a law in a manner which allows university chairmen to expel faculty members who "commit crimes which disturb the educational process," according to a cabinet statement.  

The amended legislation also bans faculty members from "participating in, inciting or facilitating protests which would halt the educational process …" 

University campuses have witnessed unprecedented violence throughout the past academic year, with at least 16 students killed amid on-campus protests, according to the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression's Student Observatory.

The pro-Mohamed Mursi "Students against the coup" movement has been organising protests against the former Islamist president's military ouster throughout the past academic year. Protests have often devolved into clashes with security forces.