It was a mixed bag of nuts on the airwaves: There was more speculation about the upcoming presidential election, coverage of El Sisi’s trip to Abu Dhabi, a sit-down interview with the CEO of Madinet Masr, and coverage of surging school tuition fees.

Elections in mid-December? Kelma Akhira host Lamees El Hadidi said that the National Elections Authority could announce the timeline for the upcoming presidential elections next month with polls likely taking place in mid-December (watch, runtime: 6:20).

Her reasoning: Under the constitution, elections must be held 120 days (four months) before the expiry of the presidential term. El Sisi’s current term expires in April.

Schools are hiking fees beyond the caps, and parents aren’t happy: El Hadidi dedicated part of last night’s show to criticizing international and private schools that are hiking tuition fees for the coming school year above the Education Ministry’s new caps (watch, runtime: 6:25). Many schools are reportedly raising fees by as much as 40%, despite the ministry’s new tiered system permitting a maximum hike of 25% for schools with the cheapest fees. El Hadidi called out the Education Ministry for not enforcing the rules, and touched on the large amounts families are spending on school supplies amid soaring prices.

Background: The Education Ministry recently imposed new caps on fee hikes, allowing schools to raise fees by 7-25% depending on the cost of tuition. Exceptions to the rule can be made if the school can prove it’s suffering losses, with the ministry reportedly approving hikes of up to 60. Schools regulated by the ministry need approval before announcing hikes.

Also on the airwaves last night:

  • El Sisi x MBZ: El Sisi’s visit to the UAE for talks with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan got blanket coverage on the airwaves: Masaa DMC (watch, runtime: 2:15), Al Hayah Al Youm (* watch, runtime: 6:11), Ala Masouleety watch, runtime: 2:34), and Kelma Akhira (watch, runtime: 1:16). We have more on the talks in diplomacy, below.
  • Madinet Masr’s Abdallah Sallam got screen time: Madinet Masr CEO Abdallah Sallam joined Amr Adib in the El Hekaya studio to discuss the company’s expansion plans and the state of the real estate sector(watch, runtime: 2:26 | 4:13 | 1:33).
  • Social support measures: Masaa DMC was still beating the drum on the new wage and pension hikes announced earlier this week (watch, runtime: 14:09).
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