The upcoming academic year is at risk, and its launch can be considered suspended at this moment. Teachers have announced their position to boycott the school year until the necessary conditions for their survival and ability to perform their duties are met. "Most teachers have either emigrated, are looking for opportunities abroad, or are seeking other professions that provide them with a decent livelihood," expresses Malouka Mahraz, president of the Secondary Education Association, reflecting on the dire living conditions faced by Lebanese teachers. She speaks with regret about their struggles, noting that many can no longer even afford transportation costs to schools.
But what about the assistance received by the educational sector, especially from donor agencies? Mahraz notes through MTV that teachers have not yet received the full grants from the previous academic year and that they have not been paid transportation allowances since February. So, what is the position of the educational community as September approaches, when the academic year is expected to begin on the fifteenth according to the latest memo from the Ministry of Education? Mahraz confirms that the three educational associations—secondary, vocational, and elementary—remain firm in their stance to boycott the school year, revealing a meeting she had with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail, where she presented a memo of the demands that the teachers condition their return on meeting.
Mahraz emphasizes the teachers' main demand for salary adjustments, calculated at an exchange rate of 8,000 Lebanese pounds, or for part of the salary to be in Lebanese pounds and the remaining part in fresh dollars. Regarding transportation costs, they request to replace the transportation allowance with 7 liters of gasoline for each teaching day, especially as gasoline trends towards complete dollarization.
Clarifying the rumors about Qatari assistance, Mahraz confirmed that the associations have not been informed by any official source about this matter and that they only learned about it from the media. Consequently, the fate of Lebanese students has entered uncertainty if quick solutions are not provided to save the academic year, away from false promises.
