CAIRO - Egyptian media are reporting that a regional governor has ordered depictions of Disney characters removed from kindergarten classrooms and replaced with images of Egyptian troops killed fighting militants.



The Youm7 news website quotes Alaa Marzouq, governor of Qaliubiya province just north of Cairo, as saying earlier this week that the move is meant to promote “children's patriotism and love for the country.”



Marzouq says: “These characters are U.S.-made. We have many honorable figures. The children will look up to them as role models.”



The move has been widely criticized on social media with users calling for authorities to focus instead on tackling overcrowded classes.



The move comes amid a surge in patriotic zeal since President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi took power in 2014. He is known to frequently repeat his favorite mantra of “Long Live Egypt!”