More than 50 women students were injured while protesting about alleged poor educational standards on the campus of two King Khalid University womens colleges on Wednesday. Asir Gov. Prince Faisal bin Khaled ordered an immediate investigation into the incidents at the College of Education and College of Literature. The demands of women students at the College of Education and College of Literature included an end to alleged ill-treatment by faculty members and administrative staff and an efficient system to keep the college campus clean.

The university administration said it would investigate the cause of the incidents and take steps to deal with the issues, Al-Watan daily reported yesterday. On Tuesday several students were shouting and misbehaving in the college complex. They attacked security guards, administrative staff and faculty members. They were saying their demands were not fulfilled, Director of Public Relations at the university Awad Al-Qarni said. Students started gathering Wednesday morning in front of the college buildings and protesting after some of them were called by the administration to discuss their issues, he said.

After that the situation worsened and students started destroying university property. Fire extinguishers and water hoses were used against the vandalizing students and some of them fainted, he said. He said one of the guardians had driven away some cleaning workers and that caused the accumulation of garbage at the university. Students alleged that cleaning operations were never properly undertaken and supervisory officials were arrogant. We have to walk on mounds of garbage that have accumulated close to the cafeteria. It is because the university authorities are neglecting cleaning operations, said a student, who gave her name as K.E.