Caretaker Minister of Education Abbas Halabi announced that “official exam results will be released shortly after the correction process resumes.”
On Wednesday, grading was suspended in centers of the North, SaIda and Baalbeck due to uncertainty surrounding teachers’ remuneration.
During an interview with MTV on Thursday, Halabi praised the efforts and commitment of all public sector teachers.
Furthermore, Halabi revealed that he has “developed a strategy for higher education within the ministry,” stating that pre-university curriculum frameworks are being finalized.
At a time when the Lebanese University (UL) is suffering from difficulties that have been exacerbated with the onset of the economic and financial crisis that has been affecting Lebanon since 2019, Halabi addressed three key points: the university budget, the creation of a university council and the issue of part-time and full-time teachers.
“Before approving the appointment of university professors, it is essential to assess the needs of the Lebanese University,” he added.
According to figures put forward by MTV, the budget of UL, which accounts for 40% of students in Lebanon, would have fallen from $240 million in 2019 to $26 million in 2023, while the institution’s actual need is estimated at $75 million. Commenting on these figures, Halabi specified that for the year 2024, they amounted to $55 million versus $80 million forecast for 2025. To meet this need, “a plan would have been put in place, for which funding would have been required depending on the government’s capacities,” said the caretaker Minister. He went on to explain that this plan would involve making UL “a university focused on production, rather than research alone.”
“Thankfully, the Lebanese University is enriched with exceptional human resources,” Halabi expressed.
Delving into the issue of the appointment of deans, and therefore of the university council, which requires a government decision, Halabi recalled that he had repeatedly presented the dossier to the Council of Ministers, which had still not studied it, for political and confessional reasons.
“We have devised a project, in consultation with the university’s rector, Bassam Badran. It takes into account five essential criteria, namely the university’s need in this area, the competence of the teaching staff, their experience, seniority and confessional balance,” stressed the caretaker Minister. He continued, “This project, which I won’t be presenting to the government until I’ve prepared the ground, involves between 1,200 and 1,250 teachers, with a ratio of 55% Muslims to 45% Christians.” According to MTV figures, UL currently has 1,650 part-time teachers and 2,500 hourly-paid contract teachers, who are demanding a change of status before the start of the academic year.
