Minister of Education and Higher Education in the caretaker government, Abbas al-Halabi, met with Katherine Bounod, Director of the Lebanese Office of the French Development Agency, along with cultural cooperation advisor Sabine Sortino and assistant advisor Isabelle Picot, in the presence of the General Director of Education Imad Al-Ashqar, the minister's office director Ramza Jaber, and media advisor Albert Chamoun.
The discussions focused on monitoring cooperation projects with the agency, whether with the General Directorate of Education or the Educational Center for Research and Development. The Minister expressed his gratitude to Bounod, who is nearing the end of her assignment with the agency in Lebanon, for her significant efforts with the agency's team and the embassy in supporting the Ministry of Education technically and through projects, wishing her success in her future career and personal life.
He confirmed that "the official exams will be the same for all candidates in Lebanon, and preparations have been made for them to take place as scheduled starting from the 29th of this month." Bounod highlighted the team's ongoing cooperation projects with the Ministry of Education, emphasizing the importance of commitment and engagement in the educational advancement process on the part of the minister and the entire ministry team, based on priorities. She pointed out the minister's success in mobilizing financial resources from the Lebanese treasury to support teachers' productivity.
She listed the cooperation programs with the ministry and the educational center, including support for national expertise, teacher training, and funding studies related to enhancing leadership among public school principals.
Al-Halabi then received a delegation representing contracted teachers in primary and secondary education, which included Hussein Saad and Montaha Fawaz, who presented him with an honorary shield. The delegation conveyed to the Minister of Education the preparedness of the contracted teachers for the official exams and thanked him for all the achievements made for the contracted teachers, which are occurring for the first time in the history of contracting in Lebanon.
In return, Al-Halabi affirmed the role of contracted teachers in advancing public education alongside their colleagues in the permanent staff, stating his efforts to secure productivity during the summer months and expressing his appreciation for their involvement in the official examination process to culminate the academic year with the official certificate.
