400 thousand students cannot return to study: Why does the Ministry of Education not discount tuition?

With the escalation of the attack against Lebanon and Israel launching attacks at different times on the south bank of Beirut in particular, there was panic among students in the private schools facing the bank due to the sounds of strong explosions that could be heard in several Lebanese regions. , and fears about the expansion of the attacks increased.

Rima, the mother of one of the students in a Catholic school in Mansouriya, describes how her daughters were afraid at the first moment of targeting the south bank this week to school for bring them back.” She said: “When I arrived, I kissed them and took them home and they started telling me what the students had done and how they were screaming, “Bombing… bombing.” Unfortunately, this is the image that will be embedded in children’s minds.”

On the other hand, private schools were generally well prepared for events of this nature. The General Secretary of Catholic Schools, Father Youssef Nasr, says that “thanks to the preparations we made in our schools, we were able to deal with the increase in Beirut and the suburbs, until the all schools took control of the situation. and we evacuated the students according to the established plan, and this led us to take the students and the parents to a safe place of any kind of danger and then communication was made with the parents to raise their children when they could.

Here, Lama Al-Taweel, head of the Union of Parent Committees in Private Schools, confirmed that “as the target area expands due to the Israeli bombing, we turn more and more to online education,” a ‘ show that “we cannot say that there is a specific rule to deal with education, and there is a large percentage of schools.” “Private education has returned to education in various forms.” In turn, Father Nasr pointed out that “in the areas along the southern bank, especially Hadath, Kafr Shima and Baabda, there is no personal education at all, we turn to systematic education, that is, in person and distance learning. Like other schools, we provide personal education, and those who cannot participate via the Internet.”

Despite this view, there are approximately 400,000 students from schools affiliated with the Association of Educational Institutions and schools in the south who cannot return to their schools. Lama Al-Taweel pointed out “30 to 40% of them cannot learn even through online technology, and here we have to see what we do”? She also pointed out that “a portion of students from private schools in dangerous areas have not returned to education at all,” stressing that “we appealed to the Minister of Education Abbas Al-Halabi to pay attention to the situation of the families. due to the difficult economic situation,” says: “The Ministry of Education must make schools consider the situation of people by asking private schools that teach in person to comply with the law and not increasing 30% of the value of As regards schools that teach at a distance, the minister must issue a decision imposing a discount on tuition in these schools.

So, despite the war, schools continue with education, be it distance, integrated or personal… Tuition discount? Despite the doubts, let’s wait and see and testify!