The National News Agency reported a statement from the Contractors' Committee in Official Basic Education, clarifying following the media appearance of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tarek Al-Majdoub on February 7, 2021, where he confirmed his serious commitment to fully compensate the contracted hours accounted for (in both written and verbal decisions on television) for the full teaching contract of the academic year 2020-2021.
After the Minister of Education emphasized the mandatory compliance of school directors to intensify and compensate until the end of the academic year, and in an effort to allow for the full compensation of contractors, and as a gesture of goodwill pending the new decision from the Minister's announcement from the respectable Director General of Education, Mr. Fadi Yark, the committee decided to suspend the open strike conditional from January 7, 2021, until February 8, 2021.
The statement outlined the conditions under which the strike would be suspended, specifying that final exam grades in all public schools in Lebanon will not be submitted until full compensation for contracted teachers and those appointed is ensured, along with procedural materials and all other contractual titles. The contractors and appointed personnel will not participate in monitoring and correcting official exams. There will be no in-person or remote education scheduled after February 22 if the directors fail to implement the compensation and intensification mechanisms or if any contractor is harassed.
The statement also stipulated extending the academic year to ensure the full execution of the contractors' contract and to work on implementing the monthly payment mechanism for the contractors, in addition to working towards including contractors in health and social insurance.
The statement emphasized that there would be no compromise on any contracted hours in the future deducted from any contractor or appointed personnel if the staff members decide to announce any movement or open strike to implement their demands or address any injustices against them.
It warned that any director who delays, hesitates, procrastinates, or fails to work on compensating the hours of contracted colleagues would face the committee’s scrutiny, and an open strike would be declared if some directors attempted to evade or shirk their responsibility regarding compensation for strike hours, holidays, and forced closures.
The statement included a commitment to continue the approval of the full contract law for contractors, while keeping the door open for dialogue with contracted colleagues regarding any shortcomings or to address educational updates directly with the ministry. The committee called on all colleagues to return to remote teaching and to intensify and compensate for what has been missed, urging them to communicate with the committee in case of any shortcomings from the directors and to follow up on developments, stressing that they would not hesitate to call for another strike in the event of any shortcomings or neglect of contractors' demands.
