As part of its advocacy efforts towards building a people-centered and sustainable recovery from the Beirut port explosion and its endeavors to promote inclusive and equitable social justice, as well as foster trust between individuals, entities, and the Lebanese government, the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS) partnered with Transparency International (TI) and its local chapter, Transparency International Lebanon – No Corruption, to issue “The Reform Monitor.” The topics covered by the monitor are linked to the areas of reform, recovery, and reconstruction (3RF). The monitor falls within the Building Integrity and National Accountability in Lebanon (BINA’) project, which is funded by the European Union. The views expressed in the monitor do not necessarily reflect those of the donor.

The Issue at Hand

The Lebanese education system is facing crises that have plagued both its public and private sectors, with repercussions affecting many generations. However, few lessons were learned from any of the previous crises, no crisis management frameworks or mechanisms for the education sector were developed, and no laws were issued to reform and develop the sector. Instead, these emergencies have turned into chronic and recurring crises. The Lebanese education sector has already witnessed numerous challenges and crises, including: the Syrian refugee children education crisis in 2011; the complete shutdown of the educational sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020; the decline in the value of teachers’ salaries in the public and private sectors; the psychological trauma that children and their parents endured after the Beirut Port explosion with no effective measures taken by the educational authorities; the closing of schools in southern border villages following the outbreak of the war between Hezbollah and Israel on October 8, 2023; and the closure of all public schools that housed Lebanese displaced families fleeing the bloody war from the South, the Bekaa, and Beirut’s southern suburbs. Nearly 400,000 Lebanese students, 110,000 Syrian students, 35,000 Palestinian students, and 90,000 students in higher education have been deprived of education.  More than 45,000 teachers were no longer able to fulfill their duties. Additionally, 50% of Lebanese university students have been displaced, and many private universities damaged by the bombing have been forced to shut down, disrupting the academic year for 52,000 students. Statistics also show that 600 public and private schools, 60 technical and vocational education institutes, and 19 university buildings have served as shelters for displaced families until the ceasefire, often without adequate access to potable water, electricity, or medical care. Despite the state of emergency, international aid remains insufficient to meet the enormous humanitarian and educational needs (Al Joumhouria).

Lebanon’s Legal Framework for Education During Emergencies

Education in times of emergency in Lebanon is governed by a set of national laws that do not directly address education under such circumstances; rather, they are based on general legal provisions such as the right to education for all. Lebanon is also bound by several international conventions, most notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26 of which provides a legal framework to protect the right to education in times of crisis, recognizing the right to education as a fundamental human right. However, the most significant framework is the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as it covers displaced persons, refugees, and protection measures.[1] While Article 39 highlights the importance of psychosocial support for children affected by conflict, these conventions and legal texts collectively guarantee the right to education in times of peace as well as in times of armed conflict and crisis. They also have an international nature, especially since most countries have ratified at least one of these conventions, giving policymakers the tools and legal framework to provide the necessary resources to provide education in emergencies and crises. They have also assigned national governments the primary responsibility of guaranteeing the right to education.[2] Article 23 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, Article 70 of the Additional Protocol I, and Article 18 of the Additional Protocol II, signed in 1977, clearly refer to the right to humanitarian aid. All of these legal articles guarantee this right and require parties to international and non-international armed conflicts to provide or allow access to humanitarian aid to the population. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) also emphasizes that the primary obligation falls on national governments. However, it calls upon the international community to support governments by ensuring the right to education for all children without any form of discrimination.[3] Despite these conventions and legal frameworks, the right to education in emergencies is not respected in many countries, including Lebanon, under the pretext of insufficient human and material resources.

Besides these agreements and legal frameworks, Lebanon adhered in 2014 to the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), which defines education as life-saving for displaced people during emergencies and crises. Lives can be saved by preventing exploitation, spreading awareness on topics such as the danger and types of landmines in order to avoid them, or spreading health education to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. Education is therefore considered a “survival tool” to sustain life by creating stability and hope for the future. It also contributes to psychological healing from trauma, builds skills, and supports conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts.[4]

These standards are based on international legal frameworks and underline the commitment to the right to quality education for all – children, young people, and adults – in a safe environment, regardless of their situation. These standards are used in 110 countries around the world as an essential emergency education tool today, and they are adopted in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of emergency education policies and programs.

INEE Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies consist of five basic domains:

Domain 1: Foundational standards, based on community participation.

Domain 2: Access and learning environment.

Domain 3: Teaching and learning.

Domain 4: Teachers and other education personnel.

Domain 5: Education policy.

Measures Taken by Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education

The measures of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) have been mainly focused on adopting remote learning in public schools and the Lebanese University, while private schools and universities were given the freedom to make their own choices in coordination with parents’ committees to provide either in-person or remote learning.

Then, Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education did not show clear preparedness to actively implement remote learning in the context of displacement and war. Although the Ministry decided to adopt remote learning as a temporary solution for public schools that have been turned into shelters for displaced people (about 600 public schools and technical and vocational institutes, as well as a number of Lebanese University campuses, have been turned into shelters for displaced people), the logistical preparations needed to implement this decision on a large scale were not completed (MEHE). Only the development of educational platforms such as “Madristi” and “Mawaridy” to provide online lessons to all students (MEHE) were launched. On October 24, one year after the onset of the war and two months after the displacement crisis, during the International Conference in Support of Lebanon’s People and Sovereignty held on the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Abbas Halabi, announced a strategic plan with four goals which he asked donors, and particularly the French President, to support. These goals were limited to ensuring access to inclusive learning for all, providing psychosocial support, empowering teachers through financial aid, and building a resilient, crisis-responsive education system (Al Joumhouria).

Key Challenges Facing Remote Learning in the Context of Displacement

Despite all the successive crises that have affected the education sector, as discussed in the introduction, decision makers have thus far failed to draw the necessary lessons or adopt public policies, whether through issuing new legislation, such as laws or decrees, or administrative decisions. Such decisions could empower the Ministry of Education and Higher Education with financial and human resources dedicated to crisis management, such as establishing a special department or unit for emergency education, in charge of preparing emergency education strategies, curricula, and tools, implementing periodic crisis education simulations, and training teachers and students on these applications.

Besides the lack of such policies so far, many Lebanese regions to which hundreds of thousands of families have been displaced do not have access to fiber-optic internet services or stable electricity sources, meaning that remote learning is logistically challenging for thousands of students and teachers with no access to smartboards or computers. The relevant ministries, the High Relief Commission, or international donor organizations have not allocated budgets to provide the necessary equipment such as computers and smartboards, or to ensure free internet services for students and teachers. It seems like the one-year period between the closing of schools in the southern border areas and the complete shutdown of schools was not enough to alert the concerned parties to develop the necessary strategies and prepare for the crisis. To make matters worse, teaching staff are grappling with the declining value of their salaries caused by the collapse of the national currency and soaring inflation linked to the war. Additionally, they face challenges such as insufficient training in remote learning techniques and a lack of essential logistical equipment.

Actions Required

Lebanon’s recurring education crises since 2011 require a comprehensive legislative framework that regulates education in emergency situations, defines its administrative and financial mechanisms, and organizes remote learning specifically in all its stages. Certain laws should also be issued to protect the right of children to access education in times of crisis, in line with international conventions, as well as frameworks and tools for adopting appropriate policies to ensure universal access to education.

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education, in cooperation with all concerned parties, should take the initiative to suggest a draft law on education in emergencies, rather than only responding to the crisis through approaches that rely on the programs offered by international organizations and donor countries, as it is currently the case.

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education is required to develop a clear participatory strategy that coordinates the efforts of all ministries and international organizations to provide the necessary financial, technical, and human support for its implementation. Empowering teachers with the necessary skills through a training program on education in emergencies on the short, medium and long terms is crucial. This includes providing psychological support to students and teachers and improving their financial situation, especially since many were forced to seek other professions to overcome poverty and hunger.

Why Is it Important to Address these Issues?

Addressing these issues is imperative to ensure the continuity of children’s right to education, even during armed conflicts and recurring crises. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s neglect and failure to develop legislative frameworks and sustainable strategies for emergency education could threaten social and economic stability and endanger the future of an entire generation of children who have been deprived of their right to education. The current crisis requires an immediate response at the legislative, financial, and human levels. The signs of emerging crises linked to the war – which will become more complex and damaging than before and are likely to intensify over time – cannot be overlooked.

References:

[1] https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/543/02/IMG/NR054302.pdf?OpenElement 

[2] Nicolai, S., & Triplehorn, C. (2003). The Role of Education in Protecting Children in Conflict. Network Paper: Humanitarian Practice Network (HPN). 

[3] Piasentin, E. (2016). The right to education in emergency situations: a rights-based assessment of the humanitarian response after the earthquake in Haiti. 

[4] INEE (2018). Education in Emergencies. Retrieved from https://inee.org/sites/default/files/resources/ .