Member of the "Strong Lebanon" bloc, MP Asaad Dergham, affirmed that the educational curricula in Lebanon have not changed since 1997, highlighting that educational curricula in other countries are updated every three years to keep pace with advancements.
Dergham expressed his regret during a participatory educational meeting via Zoom, organized by the "Modernization and Educational Development" Association, in collaboration with "Lebanon Online." He referred to a study in which Lebanon ranked second to last globally in science and last in the Arab world in the international TIMSS test. He noted this is "extremely disappointing considering Lebanon used to be a destination for Arab students."
Regarding the work of parliamentary committees, he stated, "The role of the committees is to legislate and monitor, and unfortunately, we haven't accomplished anything. We have turned into witnesses of falsehood in the Education Committee." He explained that he and Dr. Edkar Traboulsi had proposed laws that pertain to educational reform, including a proposal for an educational identity law, distance learning, and vocational guidance, yet none have been approved to date, despite the committee's nearly three-year existence.
On the issue of contracted teachers in basic public education, Dergham confirmed that they have legitimate rights and should receive the essential means of survival, especially given the situation in the country. He pointed out that every time there is a promise to include their issue on the committee's agenda for discussion, aimed at resolving this stalled file after years, it does not happen.
Regarding the impact of the pandemic and the general lockdown, MP Dergham emphasized its significant effects on the health and educational sectors, stating that while the Health Committee is intensifying its meetings, the Education Committee has not taken any action. He noted that his role is constrained, emphasizing that as a committee rapporteur, he is not permitted under the internal system to bypass the committee chair, MP Bahiyyah Hariri, to call for a meeting and activate work.
He said, "Unfortunately, if we do not pursue reforms in the Ministry of Education and update the curricula, we will head towards worse conditions than those reported days ago about our students' status compared to other countries."
In a related context, the Minister of Education in the caretaker government, Tarek Al-Majzoub, issued a decision regarding the organization of distance learning in public schools and institutes.
