A number of students gathered on Thursday outside the Ministry of Education to protest the decision to issue certificates for all the students who had undertaken the state official exams.
In this regard, the students asked teachers to correct the exams and give them official degrees in the aftermath.
They also noted that the passing certificates will "jeopardize" the next academic year.
Education Minister Elias Bou Saab issued a decision on Saturday (August 16) to grant certificates to all the students who sat for the official exams after the Union Coordination Committee refused to budge an inch on the correction of the exams.
“You have passed your exams and no one will be able to take you as hostages,” Bou Saab said, addressing students.
He also noted in a press conference that his decision was final, adding that the official exams will not be corrected and there is no need to hold onto examination documents.
“All students will be able to enroll in public or private universities in Lebanon and abroad and others will be raised to higher classes,” the minister said.
In this regard, Bou Saab accused the Union Coordination Committee of being headstrong, noting that he remains flexible in dealing with them.
Nonetheless, he said he will continue to support the committee’s righteous demands regarding the new pay hike.
The UCC has been on a continuous sit-in calling on the authorities to pass the pay scale, which stipulates a wage hike.
The decision to revive movements came as a result of the failure of the Joint Parliamentary Committees to resolve the dispute on the Value Added Tax in a proposal aimed at securing the funds for the salary scale that was approved by former Prime Minister Najib Mikati's cabinet.
Former PM Mikati's cabinet endorsed the new salary scale for public employees in 2012, ending a long dispute that had triggered several sit-ins and strikes held by the UCC.
Former President Michel Sleiman signed the decree mid-June 2013 and it was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committees for further examination, however the law was never passed to parliament.
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