The Minister of Education and Higher Education, Rima Karami, issued Circular No. 41/M/2026, which specifies the conditions and procedures for applying to the special session of official examinations to obtain the general secondary certificate in its four branches with grades, in implementation of the Cabinet’s decision to hold a special session despite the exemption from official examinations for the academic year 2025-2026.
The Ministry confirmed that the right to apply for the special session is limited to specific categories, including candidates who are eligible, and those who failed and obtained a grade of less than 9.5/20 in their approved school results until March 1, 2026.
Successful candidates are also entitled to apply for the special course in exceptional cases, most notably obtaining university admission inside or outside Lebanon that requires presenting the certificate with grades, or seeking to obtain a scholarship, provided that the school average is not less than 16/20, in addition to cases in which the employer requires the submission of an official secondary certificate with grades.
The decision also included candidates who succeeded in the secondary school certificate exams for the 2025 session and who obtained a general average of less than 12/20.
The circular stressed that all required documents are an essential part of the conditions for accepting the application, and any file that does not meet the legal and administrative requirements will not be considered.
He explained that the applications of successful candidates are submitted through public and private secondary schools within the period specified by the General Directorate of Education, provided that they are referred to a specialized committee that studies the files and verifies that they meet the conditions, before submitting its recommendations to the Minister of Education to take the final decision.
In parallel, Karami asked the General Directorate of Education to verify the authenticity of the school grades entered by the schools and approved the application of this circular, using various means of verification and reconciliation.
The Ministry confirmed that schools bear full responsibility for the accuracy of the data and grades entered into the electronic system, stressing that it will follow up on any complaints or information related to errors, violations, or tampering with grades.
It indicated that legal and administrative measures would be taken against anyone proven to be involved in entering incorrect data or tampering with marks, without prejudice to any legal or disciplinary responsibilities that may result from that.
This circular comes after the Council of Ministers’ decision to exempt high school certificate students from the official exams for the current academic year, and to adopt school grades as a basis for granting certificates, a decision that sparked widespread discussion among students, families, and educational institutions.
The special course aims to provide an opportunity for students who need an official certificate that includes grades, whether to complete their university studies inside or outside Lebanon, to benefit from scholarships, or to meet employment requirements, while taking care to control the application mechanism and prevent any manipulation that may affect the principle of equal opportunities among candidates.
