Public education sector at risk of further deterioration

The beginning of the academic year was three months ago, and the teachers' strike in the public sector is just around the corner.

The public sector teachers opted to return to teaching at the start of the academic year after the Education Ministry promised to secure financial aid from donor countries totaling $130 per month for each teacher. However, the promises were not kept.

Due to this, the associations announced a warning strike for two days over the following two weeks, with a possible open strike after the holidays, as the demands related to financial aid were not met, and to raise the hourly allowance for teachers with contracts and the quarterly salaries for vocational education teachers.

Ministerial sources indicated to LBCI that donor countries had yet to respond to the Education Minister's requests to provide funds for teachers, unlike the previous year.

The S2R2 project, which involves around 18 million dollars in grants and about 60 million dollars in loans, was therefore approved by the World Bank.

The World Bank must approve the transfer of the funds because they exceed $50 million per year, and the 60 million loans are allocated to restore schools and equipment. The request is then sent to the Parliament because it requires a law amendment, but the World Bank has yet to respond positively.

For his part, the Education Minister clarified, following a statement he issued on Sunday that angered the educational associations, that what he said was only for the benefit of public school students, urging teachers to make the right decision to preserve public schools.

While educational sources indicated that what is happening in the public education sector may be in response to one of the conditions of the World Bank that requires reducing the number of employees in the public sector, what is happening with teachers may push them to resign.

As a result, Lebanon's public education system is experiencing significant confusion for the fourth year, which will be disastrous to students' and the sector's futures.

So, will Lebanon be able to save its most essential sectors from deterioration?