In a statement issued by it, the Association of Contractual Teachers in Public Basic Education in Lebanon announced the launch of a campaign aimed at confirming all contractors with their various titles. This announcement came during a press conference held in the Parliament and in the presence of a number of representatives, after 21 years had passed since the contractors had worked without any draft law aimed at installing them in the state’s ranks being passed.
The association explained that this campaign began by organizing central workshops and seven human rights workshops in various governorates. These workshops witnessed consultation with hundreds of contractors and a detailed discussion of the provisions of two basic laws, namely the “tenure law” and the “full-time law.” Subsequently, the Association made a series of visits to representatives of the Education Committee and heads of political blocs and educational offices, where in-depth discussions took place on the provisions of the two aforementioned laws. The positions varied between those who promised to follow up, those who expressed refusal, and those who asked to be given an additional period to study the issue.
After several months of discussions and meetings, the Association reported that it continued its efforts with the cooperating representatives, as a parliamentary union meeting was held during which the provisions of the two laws were reviewed in detail. This meeting resulted in the adoption of the “Confirmation Law” as the best and most effective solution to address the contracting issue, in addition to being the most accessible and approved by the Parliament.
The Association also indicated that the first phase of the campaign concluded with a joint press conference held between the Association and a number of representatives. The association’s representative, “Dr. Nisreen Shaheen,” attended this conference, in addition to the representatives who expressed their support and signed the draft law, namely: “Paula Yacoubian, Halima Kaaqour, Yassin Yassin, Ibrahim Mneimneh, and Firas Hamdan.” The Association considered that this step represented putting the law on the right path by transferring it to the corridors of the legislative authority, pointing out that the Chairman of the Parliamentary Education Committee, “Dr. Hassan Murad,” had informed the President of the Association that he would sign the law and place it on the committee’s agenda.
In her speech, the president of the association stressed that ending the phenomenon of contracting represents “a public interest that is reflected in the stability of the public school and the rights of students, and not a sectarian demand,” stressing that addressing this issue requires “a political and partisan decision, as it is a national responsibility that requires a clear position and the adoption of the law to remove public school families from the contracting system.”
For his part, Representative Yassin Yassin stressed “the representatives’ support for resolving this issue, because of its direct repercussions on the lives of thousands of teachers and students, and its importance in the process of building the nation.” Representative Halima Kaakour also stressed “the keenness to address this issue because of its negative effects on the educational sector, especially formal education,” stressing “the necessity of reaching a balanced solution that is fair to the contractors and preserves the interest of formal education.”
The statement stated that the representatives present all signed the draft law in order for it to follow its legal path, which aims to install contract professors in public schools according to specific criteria related to the number of years of teaching and the number of hours taught. The law requires that tenure be completed after undergoing training courses followed by an exam at the College of Education, taking into account the priority of seniority in tenure, and providing the opportunity for those over the legal age to move to public administrations.
