As everything crumbles in Lebanon, a country going through a serious economic, social and political crisis, the education sector is not spared and gives rise to fears of the worst for years to come. All the institutions are bankrupt, from public establishments – already in difficulty before the crisis – to foreign schools and private universities. The country seems ready to abandon its youth, some of whom are looking abroad in search of training or employment. Of all the crises that Lebanon is going through, that of the education system is the most worrying
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- Large French-Lebanese high school in Beirut
Once the flagship of the cedar country, the education sector has been hit hard by the crisis the country is going through. Public schools, already overcrowded and lacking in resources, are now inefficient. Distance learning courses, which have been widespread in the country for over a year, require resources that public education does not have. Students cannot equip themselves with computer equipment and most of them have completely dropped out.
Already in 2020, the school year ended remotely and diplomas were issued in continuous assessment. The problem is that these diplomas thus lose their value and some countries, such as Qatar, have decided not to recognize them. This year 2021 is likely to resemble the previous one. Indeed, since the beginning of the school year, the establishments have provided (on average) only five weeks of face-to-face lessons. The students who had difficulties have mostly dropped out and only the best elements stand out. Moreover, many students with dual nationality have left the country to continue their studies in France, Canada or the Kingdom. -United.
A loss that also concerns teachers. Indeed, teachers are paid in Lebanese pounds. However, this currency has collapsed a little more every week for more than a year. As a result, a teacher who was paid the equivalent of 1,600 euros in September 2019 now receives the equivalent of 200 euros. At the same time, all prices have gone up and the teaching staff who belonged to the upper middle class are now struggling to survive. The aid granted by foreign powers like France but also Germany or Qatar just makes it possible to pay the bills but in no case to project oneself into the future. Some schools are at risk of going out of business.
No school is spared
The entire educational sector is bankrupt, from public establishments – already in difficulty before the crisis – to foreign schools and private universities. The French high schools of the AEFE and the MLF have seen their number of students decrease by around 30% and have therefore dismissed in full force. The situation in these prestigious establishments is particularly delicate and the gap is widening between seconded staff paid in euros and benefiting from job security on the one hand and local recruits paid in local currency and sitting on an ejection seat of somewhere else. At the same time, the precious sesame that is the French baccalaureate is sold off on the altar of continuous control with its share of plagiarism and pressure from students and parents alike, aware of the weight of their subscription.
At the American University of Beirut the situation is no better. All bills are in dollars and it is impossible to increase tuition fees any further. Students now live in extreme precariousness and have organized numerous demonstrations and other sit-ins to denounce their situation. The country, which has been waiting for a new government since August 2020, seems ready to abandon its youth. Faced with the general impoverishment of Lebanese society, education, overwhelmingly private in a country that long since succumbed to the sirens of liberalism, is becoming a luxury that few families can afford. Many young people were already leaving the country to continue their studies or get a job, but the phenomenon is now taking on a new scale and is now coupled with dropping out of school. The future of the country, however, depends on the training of enlightened youth who are aware of contemporary issues. Of all the crises the country is going through, that of the education system is therefore the most worrying.
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