Technical Issues Hamper Distance Learning for Lebanese Students

 A worker cleans a classroom desk of a school closed as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus in Sidon, Lebanon February 29, 2020. (Reuters)
A worker cleans a classroom desk of a school closed as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus in Sidon, Lebanon February 29, 2020. (Reuters)
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Technical Issues Hamper Distance Learning for Lebanese Students

 A worker cleans a classroom desk of a school closed as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus in Sidon, Lebanon February 29, 2020. (Reuters)
A worker cleans a classroom desk of a school closed as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus in Sidon, Lebanon February 29, 2020. (Reuters)

Decisions issued by the Lebanese government to close schools imposed a forced indefinite holiday on more than one million students, prompting authorities to consider alternatives.

During a recent Cabinet session, ministers discussed the launching of distance teaching, in cooperation between the ministries of education, communications and media, including the production of television programs and modern interactive methods between teachers and students within educational classes that would be broadcasted on Lebanon’s state-owned TV channel, just as it was during the civil war in the 1970s.

The decision to close schools was accompanied by a circular on the adoption of distance education through social media technologies. The Educational Emergency Committee also announced, on more than one occasion, that the official examinations for the secondary school certificate would be held this year, ruling out any proposal on their cancellation.

However, the plans of the Ministry of Education collide with the technological reality in Lebanon.

Karim Zarzour, a specialist in this field, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the internet in Lebanon does not meet the need for distance education, saying that the Ministry of Communications has increased the capacity of use without improving its quality.

He added that the Education Ministry’s plans would work for a group of students, but others, especially in public schools, would be excluded. This would cause stratification among students, Zarzour said, noting that a large percentage of them does not have a smartphone, tablet or computer.

While the distance learning level converges between public and private schools, free schools suffer from a difficult situation that prevents them from being able to cope with this educational emergency, because their students are often from underprivileged and semi-destitute groups.

This means that the Education Ministry’s efforts to compensate for the forced school closure will face many difficulties, as the technical ground is not ready in terms of resources and equipment, just as the educational curricula are not interactive.



Israel Drafts Plan to Annex West Bank Settlements

An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
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Israel Drafts Plan to Annex West Bank Settlements

An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)
An Israeli settlement in the West Bank. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed calls from his ministers to impose Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank next year after US President Donald Trump takes office.

In recent private talks, Netanyahu said the issue of sovereignty in the West Bank should return to the agenda once Trump is in the White House, according to public broadcaster Kan.

This aligns Netanyahu with coalition members already pushing for such a move next year.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the National Religious Party - Zionism Party and holds a position within Israel’s Defense Ministry where he oversees the administration of the occupied West Bank and its settlements, said Monday that a Trump win would create a “key opportunity” for Israel to impose sovereignty.

“We were close to applying sovereignty to settlements in Judea and Samaria during Trump’s last term, and now it’s time to make it happen,” he said.

“2025: the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich wrote on X, using the biblical name by which Israel refers to the occupied West Bank.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also welcomed Donald Trump’s victory, saying, “This is the time for sovereignty.”

Trump’s win has encouraged Israeli right-wing leaders to push for annexing and expanding West Bank settlements.

The plan to extend sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and West Bank settlements dates back to 2020, when Netanyahu sought Trump’s approval to move forward.

Kan reported that annexation plans are ready to be implemented.

In 2020, as part of Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin’s team, working with US officials, prepared maps, regulations, and a draft government resolution, Kan said.

The plan includes access roads and potential expansion zones for each settlement.

The West Bank is home to around 144 official settlements and over 100 unofficial outposts, covering approximately 42% of the territory, including their jurisdictions. These areas house about 600,000 Israeli settlers.