Lebanon’s government-run schools opened their doors recently for nearly 400,000 students as the new school year began. The start of the new school year, which came on October 16, had been delayed for nearly one month in the wake of the July-August war with Israel. The return to studies, therefore, came amid widespread fear and difficulty for many students and their families across Lebanon.
According to data from Lebanese authorities, some 50 schools were destroyed during the war, and 300 others partially damaged. All in all, an estimated $70 million in damages was inflicted on the Lebanese education system during the conflict. Lebanese authorities, however, are optimistic about reconstruction efforts, and expect to resolve all education related problems by the upcoming Eid al Fitr.
Similar to other sectors requiring massive reconstruction following the war, the start of the new school year was realized thanks to three factors in particular: efforts of the government and education ministry; the Lebanese Army, which helped to rebuild damaged schools or find suitable alternatives, and foreign aid—especially the financial assistance granted by oil-rich Gulf States.
Fuad Seniora’s impressive government's policy, as phrased by Education Minister Khaled al Qabani, was clear: Despite huge difficulties and reconstruction challenges, the national principle, which ignores sectarian differences, was successfully implemented. Accordingly, no pupil will be left out of the nation’s education system—a goal to be achieved at any price. Seniora government put the issue on highest priority of the national agenda, feeling that a swift return to school would enable children to overcome their war scars.
School administrators in the southern town of Marjayoun claim the biggest problem they face today is a shortage of textbooks, as most school refurbishment work has been completed. Thus, sources in Lebanon argue the biggest concern now for Lebanese students is how to study for examinations while lacking textbooks—not concerns regarding the state of buildings they will be studying in.
At the border town of Nabatiya, for instance, some 120 schools opened their gates for 25,000 students. Beforehand, local representatives of the education ministry had helped in directing pupils in an organized manner to alternative schools.
The education ministry official in the Nabatiya area, Nashat Hijab, has indicated to the press the contentment of local residents with the Saudi pledge to finance the entire cost of the upcoming school year. Generally speaking, GCC states are active in the rebuilding efforts; the UAE has funded the reconstruction of a school in the southern village of Dhabin, while Qatar has financed the establishment of a huge "school tent" in the village of Alkhiyam until reconstruction works on the local school, also financed by Qatar, are complete.
As mentioned earlier, the Lebanese Armed Forces and especially its engineering units played a significant role in preparing for the new school year. Engineering squads dealt with the massive and crucial task of removing unexploded objects found near schools in order to secure the safety of pupils.
Meanwhile, students from the devastated southern suburbs of Beirut will also begin the school year along with the rest of the nation’s students, and are currently being directed to governmental schools in other parts of the capital. Some schools in Beirut were damaged as they were turned into shelters for refugees when the war started.
In addition to providing logistic solutions to problems facing Lebanon’s education sector, the Ministry of Education is also working hard to address many of the mental problems faced by school-age children following the war. This is being done, in part, by the promotion of constructive activities offering hope and optimism for the future. These include expanding sports programs as well as an added emphasis on arts and culture classes, a trend which responds to calls by public education figures to significantly reduce the politicization and sectarianism of the Lebanese education system.
In this regard, Father Michael Saba, also a lecturer on educational affairs, on October 15 published an article in al Mustaqbal daily where he called on promoting national education that highlights moral and universal values which encourage tolerance and dialogue. In his article, Father Saba stressed that: "the education establishment should not enter the darkest tunnel! Educational institutions should instead focus on granting knowledge to students in the hope that they will find their appropriate roles in the community when the Lebanese homeland is successful in ejecting those who kill in it on behalf of its defense with the aspiration of controlling it".
