Egyptian schools blacklist Disney characters, replacing them with 'military martyrs'

Children in Egypt may be disappointed when they return to the classroom this year, as popular Disney characters are set to be replaced with 'military martyrs' at some schools.

The much loved characters have been blacklisted by the governor of Qalioubiya, a province north of Cairo, the Daily Mail reports.

Alaa Marzouq, who was newly appointed as governor in President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's reshuffle in August, announced the move this week and ordered all depictions of the cartoon characters to be removed from schools and replaced with images of 'military heroes'.

Speaking to local media, he said: “We need to replace the images of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck with images of famous Egyptians and military martyrs, so children look up to them as role models.

“All these characters are US-made, while we have many honourable figures… who will deepen the children's patriotism and love for the nation.”

The decision has been widely criticised on social media, with many users arguing that authorities need to focus on tackling overcrowded classrooms and reforming outdated teaching methods and curriculum, The New Arab reported.