The official education associations (secondary, vocational, and primary) issued a statement announcing their intention to escalate, leading to sit-ins and street demonstrations, in protest against what they described as “the continued governmental procrastination and disregard for the rights of professors and teachers.”
The associations clarified that they held an expanded meeting on Monday, January 5, 2026, at their headquarters in UNESCO, due to what they considered “the continuation of promises without any practical proposals or serious measures to address the crippling crisis that is hitting official education.” The associations believe that this crisis, which is being underestimated, is in fact “a time bomb that threatens catastrophic consequences,” holding the government “fully responsible” for it.
Based on this situation, the attendees discussed a plan for action and escalation during January 2026, and agreed on its most important stages, which begin with “a strike on Tuesday, January 13, 2026,” with the final course to be determined based on the results of “the meeting of the heads of the associations with the Minister of Education on Monday, January 12, 2026,” and what may result from it in terms of “governmental positions, far from any procrastination or dilution.”
It was also decided to “hold general assemblies in official schools, institutes, secondary schools, teacher training colleges, and guidance centers on Wednesday and Thursday, January 14 and 15, 2026, to vote on the action plan and take the appropriate decision regarding escalation.”
The plan also includes “a strike on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, followed by a strike with a central sit-in on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, in Beirut in front of the Ministry of Education, in addition to holding a demonstration on the first day of the general budget discussion sessions in the Parliament, with a strike and sit-in in front of the entrance to the Parliament throughout the days of the discussion.”
The official education associations concluded their statement by congratulating the Lebanese in general, and professors and teachers in particular, on the occasion of Christmas and New Year, stressing that “the dignity of the professor and teacher is not a bargaining chip,” and that “the policy of procrastination will not pass after today,” emphasizing that “the choice is now between serious and immediate solutions or a comprehensive union confrontation for which the authority alone bears the responsibility for its results,” considering that “the country is on the verge of a decisive stage, and that retreat is no longer an option, and the word now belongs to the general bodies.”
