Obituary: A suave gentleman 1922-2008 , the former chairman of the consultative upper house of Shura Council, died on 11 July at age 86. On Sunday, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and a large assembly of high-ranking officials, politicians and journalists led a military funeral for Helmi, who passed away at Cleopatra Heliopolis in Cairo. Helmi was well-known both as an education reformist and a very conservative politician at the same time. Helmi, a calm and soft-spoken man by nature, was forced into the noisy world of politics in June 1989 when the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) elected him chairman of the Shura Council. In June 2004 Helmi was replaced by Safwat El-Sherif, NDP's secretary-general and former minister of information. A statement issued by the Shura Council on Sunday described Helmi as a leader of enlightenment in contemporary Egypt, and a pioneer of educational reform. "Helmi devoted his life to serving the interests of Egypt in both domestic and foreign forums," declared the Shura statement. Helmi was well known for his loyalty to the political regime established by the 1952 Revolution. When he was chairman of the Shura Council, he stood against any criticism against the government and the political regime. This put him under fire from opposition leaders, who accused him of turning the Shura Council into a highly conservative body and a talk shop. As chairman of the Shura Council, Helmi was also chairman of the Higher Press Council. In that position, he was firm against licensing any opposition and independent newspapers, declaring that this kind of the press serves anti-Egyptian foreign agendas. Helmi, however, was highly acclaimed for devoting the Shura Council to issuing a list of prestigious studies about political and socio-economic developments in Egypt. On top of this list were reports about terrorism, Sinai, privatisation, social reform and education. His official career began in 1971 when he was appointed Egypt's representative to the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO). In 1974, president Anwar El-Sadat appointed him minister of education; in 1976, Helmi's portfolio expanded to minister of education and higher education. In 1986, he was appointed minister of higher education and promoted to the post of deputy prime minister. In 1980, Helmi was elected member of the Shura Council for east Cairo's district of Heliopolis. Helmi received the Medal of the Republic in April 1981 and the Medal of Merit in October 1981 from El-Sadat. In September 1985 Helmi received the Sash of the Nile from President Hosni Mubarak, in recognition of his efforts to upgrade education and scientific research in Egypt. Helmi also received the Medal of Education from King Hussein of Jordan in 1978; the Medal of the Two Niles from Sudan's former president Gaafar Numeri in 1982; and the Alawaite Medal from King Hassan of Morocco in 1992. Between 1980 and 1984, Helmi was elected chairman of the Syndicate of School Teachers, and re- elected again in 1989 until his death. In these two decades, he exerted much effort to improve the living standards of school teachers. He strongly rejected dismissing school teachers who give private lessons for high profits, insisting that raising the official salaries of school teachers is the only means of eliminating the phenomenon. Helmi received a Bachelor of Science from Cairo University in 1943, a Master of Science in 1949, and a PhD in philosophy in 1952. By Gamal Essam El-Din
