About 750,000 students and 60,000 teachers in private schools face an unknown fate amid a worsening economic crisis, which has been further exacerbated by forced disruption measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
While parents complain that private schools expect them to pay the tuition in full at the risk of not registering their children for the next academic year, the administrations of most schools stressed their inability to maintain work unless the state takes initiatives in this regard.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Education Minister Tarek al-Majzoub said: “The economic situation in Lebanon coincided with the coronavirus crisis, which has greatly affected the educational sector.”
He emphasized that parents were facing a dire financial situation, while teachers and administrators should not be left to bear additional burdens.
“It is our duty to work to secure their salaries. Therefore, we held several meetings with all educational partners in order to reach solutions, and a joint statement was signed to ensure the sustainability of education,” he revealed.
He continued: “We are working on several tracks to develop public education in Lebanon because we believe in the public sector and value its efficiency. The doors of public schools are open to everyone. We are working on an educational emergency plan that will see the light soon.”
On the other hand, Secretary-General of Catholic Schools, Father Boutros Azar, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the economic crisis was not something new.
“We have been warning about it since 2012… and we have demanded fair salaries. Today, some parents are unable to pay the tuition fees, while others, who are more privileged, abstain from paying. We have reached a dead end and we cannot continue,” Azar warned, saying that four Catholic schools have closed so far.
