Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati met this Monday morning at the Saraya government building with Member of Parliament Akram Shehab from the "Democratic Gathering" to discuss how to rescue the academic year and protect the rights of educators. Shehab was accompanied by the Secretary of the Progressive Socialist Party, Dhafer Nasser; former employees' cooperative president Anwar Daou; and the party's education commissioner, Samir Najem.
After the meeting, Shehab stated, "The goal of the visit is to save the academic year and protect the rights of educational bodies, focusing on safeguarding public education and official schools in Lebanon. There was an emphasis on how to disburse the 5,000 billion Lira allocated for education, which was approved at the last cabinet meeting as an initial payment, and the necessity for these funds to reach schools, teachers, and instructors regularly after ensuring the necessary incentives to conclude the next academic year smoothly."
He added, "Teachers and unions insist on not returning to teaching in official schools unless their rights are fully secured, while maintaining the dignity of the teachers and their ability to educate and transition to public school."
Shehab concluded, "President Mikati expressed his strong commitment to the success of the upcoming academic year, and we will continue this matter with the Minister of Education and all relevant parties, particularly regarding financial issues." In response to a question, he said, "There is 5,000 billion Lira, and the discussion is about how to deliver it to the schools and the teachers, specifically regarding how to maintain the dignity of the teacher through payments in dollars."
