The official committee of hourly contract instructors at the Lebanese University held a protest today, Wednesday, in front of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in "Ounesco," with representatives from various faculties of the Lebanese University participating.
After the national and university anthems, Hamed Hamed read a statement addressed to the protesters, saying: "We all suffer and are pained by what this authority has brought us to, recalling those bygone nights when we were immersed in books, research, or preparations, not to mention the years we spent acquiring knowledge inside and outside the country. Therefore, I urge you all to stand firm and support each other to obtain our rights, or else we will all perish. Let this be our grand and final battle this time under the slogan 'To be or not to be,' and let those in charge understand that the development and progress of the university do not happen through humiliating its professors, cutting their rights, insulting them, and leaving them prey to hunger and need."
He added: "And because our primary issue in this university is job stability, which is a natural right, we demand that Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Minister of Education and Higher Education in the caretaker government Abbas Halabi, and University President Bassam Badran, along with all political and sectarian parties and blocs, expedite the approval of the job stability file for all who meet the conditions specified by university law."
He concluded: "Therefore, we announce our inability to begin the upcoming academic year until we secure what guarantees us a dignified living, which befits the professor and researcher, respecting ourselves above all, our scientific and social status, and for our children and students."
