Date: 11 December 2024
The challenges and difficulties facing the resumption of the academic year in schools in Tyre district following the Israeli aggression and the damage it caused to public and private school buildings and its direct and indirect repercussions on the educational family, including school administrations, students, teachers and parents, were the focus of the consultative meeting called by the National School Network in Tyre district and held in the hall of Qadmous School. The meeting was attended by Mrs. Bahia Hariri, Member of the Parliamentary Education Committee Hajj Ali Khreis, Director General of the Ministry of Education Mr. Imad Al-Ashqar, Head of the South Educational Region Mr. Ahmed Saleh, President of the Basic Public Education Teachers Association Mr. Hussein Jawad, Secretary General of the Private School Teachers Union Dr. Osama Arnaout, National School Network Coordinator in the district, Director of Qadmous School Father Jean Younis and the Coordination Committee of the School Network for Saida and Neighboring Towns, and a large number of public and private school principals in Tyre district.
Younes
The meeting started with the Lebanese national anthem and a minute of silence for the souls of the martyrs of the educational family, including principals, teachers and students, then there was a welcome from the coordinator of the Tyre network, Father Jean Younes, who presented the most prominent challenges and obstacles facing the resumption of the school year normally, namely:
* The serious or partial damage to school buildings.
* Compensation for damaged schools
*The psychological damage inflicted on the educational family due to the human losses and the rise of martyrs among students, parents, workers and teachers, and the need for psychological support for students and teachers.
* The issue of the curriculum and the need to ease it for students, especially for the official exams, and the hope that circulars will be sent early in this regard.
* The school calendar and the need to determine the study period and the date of the official exams.
* The issue of extending the legal deadlines for submitting regulations, compensation funds, insurance and others.
* The financial issue: School premiums, in light of the failure to pay them in the first semester in private schools, and the emptiness of public-school funds.
* The issue of paying full salaries and wages to teachers.
* Laws and legislation that are issued quickly.
*The issue of the compensation fund and social security.
Zeidan
Ms. Nadine Zeidan, Principal of the Rafik Hariri High School in Saida, gave a presentation on the successful experience of the School Network for Saida and the Neighboring Towns, its objectives, the development of its work and activities, and the importance of generalizing this experience to other regions.
Hariri
Mrs. Bahia Hariri emphasized the importance of permanent consultation in facing these challenges between the components of education, the Lebanese state represented by the Ministry of Education and the school community, including administrations, teachers, students and parents. She said:” The current student, whether we like it or not, is a global student, born in Lebanon, but the whole world is in his hands. We consider citizenship to be a basic duty, which means that the student in the curriculum that we are now developing and following up with the educational center is rooted in the place.
Every student at any educational level must know his surroundings and components, and municipalities play a role with us because they are geographically responsible for the schools that fall within their region, and this is in the laws. We are tasked with enforcing it. Since the launch of the school network, we have been keen on two points: Democratization of education, and educational justice between public and private schools. It is our responsibility to provide the student in the public and private sectors with quality education, and the competition between the two sectors is a competition for the best.”
She added: “This country’s wealth is in its human capital, and it is distinguished by education, we do not want to lose this advantage, and we must continue to preserve it. All the obstacles concerned with the ministry, we as a network in Saida develop a joint document addressing them, and this can also be applied to you. Of course, for us, the educational district is the basis because it is the one that receives all the questions and issues, and we are in full coordination with it. I can say that the South Council will start renovating schools in the area for which it is responsible.”
Khreis
Member of Parliament, Mr. Ali Khreis said: “We have an issue, a large number of our schools are destroyed, and a large number needs urgent reconstruction, perhaps about 50% of our schools in their current state are unfit to receive students in Tyre district, let alone Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun, Nabatieh or even Zahrani. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the ministry and all of us to exert great pressure to accelerate the construction or renovation process, because the advantage of Lebanon, as Mrs. Hariri said, is education, and the advantage of Lebanon is its educated and cultured people, especially in this stage that we are going through, and there is no doubt that it is very harsh and difficult, so we must focus on education. School and education are what saves us and lifts us up. We hope that our parents, and school principals, who are at a great level of responsibility, will assume their responsibility in order to save the school year.
Al-Ashqar
Mr. Imad Al-Ashqar said: “We have a big challenge ahead of us, and yes, there are difficulties and issues, but our responsibility is huge. When the war started, we had to start the school year on the 4th of the month, and thank God the war ended, and now we are coming back and making a second plan to enter another school year, and challenge after challenge, destroyed schools and damaged schools. We have 770 public schools ready to start education, and we have 350 damaged schools. We have 50 schools that are completely destroyed. And 15 schools are still shelters. There is a big challenge, and we all have to work together. The situation is difficult, salaries are not enough, social issues are disastrous and reflected in schools, which have become the bearers of all of society’s misfortunes. Thank you, thank you Mrs. Bahia because you are not only a facilitator but an inspiration, this network started in 2001 and without this determination, we would not be here today telling this experience to more than one region to unify our society and provide justice in education among all students.”
Saleh
Mr. Ahmed Saleh gave a speech in which he considered that the losses and damages in homes and schools are great, but the biggest loss is in the families who were wounded, hurt and lost their children and the schools that lost their students and teachers. He said: “From here, the responsibility placed on us is a very great responsibility, and we consider that the opening of schools is a stabilizing factor for society, which is a kind of resurrection, and this is our required role now at this stage. The role of the pen and the word . This falls on your shoulders. We are required to open schools and put our children back on the right track because the challenges and dangers that await us are enormous, if students are not in their niche and in the right place we will lose a lot. Especially in light of the educational loss. Your pain I know, we want to accelerate the compensation mechanism, and this is on the shoulders of those concerned with education, and God willing, we are with the political authorities to talk about the issue, especially the compensation of the South Council, and to accelerate the disclosure mechanism. Some directors took the initiative, repaired and documented, so do not be afraid, all of this will be taken by the South Council, and things will be in order, God willing.”
Interventions
Then there were interventions by a number of principals of public and private schools that dealt with the difficulties and challenges they face, whether in terms of school buildings, educational staff, school funds, the Internet, curricula, circulars issued by the ministry, the issue of the compensation fund and others.
The head of the Basic Education Association, Mr. Hussein Jawad, and the Secretary General of the Teachers’ Syndicate, Dr. Osama Al-Arnaout, also intervened.
Ashqar
The Director General, Mr. Imad Al-Ashqar, responded to the points raised by the principals:
* As for the teaching staff in public schools, this year we started two shifts with 22,000 teachers. Knowing that the need is 36,000, which means that there are 14,000 shortages.
* As for the issue of administrative red tape, we must take into account the circumstances that the country went through and affected the work of the ministry until it started working with 10 and 15 percent of its employees, because some of them were displaced and lost their homes. We understand your pain, and we are trying to alleviate it, as the deadlines will be extended. Free schools expire on the 20th of the month, and today I prepared a letter that His Excellency the Minister will sign and go to the Council of Ministers because we need a decree to extend the deadlines for free schools until the end of next month.
* The nominal lists have never been an obstacle, in normal days, every year we had to extend them for a week, two weeks, a month and more, let alone in times of war.
*Internet package from the Ministry of Communications: We asked students in public and private schools to register, 35,000 registered from private and public schools, but out of 235,000, we were only able to get 103,000 names and correct phone numbers. The issue was underestimated. As for private schools, they have a right, in the south, as the public one was affected, the private one was also affected, we were going to a plan and today we have another plan after the ceasefire.
* Curriculum: It is 18 weeks, and now it is being studied by the guidance and directorates, and God willing, this week it will be issued and published on the official page.
* Official exams : We wish we could set the date of the exams now, but we cannot currently make long-term plans due to the conditions of the country.
*Extended vacations: The circular issued by His Excellency the Minister was issued for public schools, and the issue of holidays is up to each principal.
* On the subject of textbooks, they are in the warehouses. Now we will re-study and distribute. God willing, after the New Year, things will be organized.
* The compensation fund: It is a compensation fund for teachers, not for the Ministry of Education, and we do not only collect for the retiree, but also for you when you retire. Now the compensation has become four and a half times and in fresh US Dollars, not by a bank check. Since 2019, The mandate of the fund’s board of directors has expired, and the new board has not yet issued its decree. We are in an exceptional circumstance, and we must deal with each other to open our schools and start the school year.
In conclusion, the meeting decided to submit a letter with the points raised during the meeting to the ministry for follow-up.