A distressing image reflecting the painful reality of multiple crises faced by Lebanese citizens went viral on social media in Lebanon. The image showed students traveling to their school in a small goods delivery cart. This photo left a deep impact on citizens, who reacted by posting sorrowful comments highlighting the unprecedented and painful reality that modern Lebanon is experiencing. Zina, a school teacher, described the image as "harsh," stating, "Poverty has begun to gnaw at the pockets of Lebanese people, who have left no means to send their children to school, amid a sharp and unacceptable rise in the cost of transportation via school buses and cars due to the increase in fuel prices, leaving parents unable to provide safe transportation for their children, with some resorting to transporting their kids on small motorcycles."
One director of a public school commented on the picture, telling "Sky News Arabia," "The salary of the citizen has lost more than 80 percent of its value due to the collapse of the lira against the US dollar, leaving them unable to pay school fees and transportation costs as well. This small and unsafe cart may be the beginning of the scenes reflecting the worsening crisis faced by Lebanese citizens who are struggling hard to provide for their families."
Commenting on the picture, the legal advisor for the Federation of Parent Committees in Private Schools in Lebanon, attorney Maya Jara, told "Sky News Arabia": "Unfortunately, parents are left with two options: either not send their children to school and thus lose the academic year, or take the risk and use transportation methods that are unsafe and lack standards for safety and comfort." Jara confirmed that children in Lebanon "are suffering from the burdens of the economic collapse just like other segments of society, and perhaps more so. They have become easy prey to the crisis that has afflicted the country, bearing the serious repercussions reflected on their future, the quality of their education, and their overall standard of living."
Furthermore, the president and founder of the "Yaza" association focused on raising awareness of traffic accidents, Ziad Akl, told "Sky News Arabia": "Violations that endanger the lives of students are unacceptable, and due to the crisis, scenes of transporting students in dangerous and unsafe ways are increasing. We emphasize our support for the Lebanese National Committee for Accident Prevention in all its efforts to confront the disaster that honestly reflects what is happening on the ground."
