“Lebanon Debate”
As the Minister of Education’s visit to the south approaches tomorrow, the education files in the border areas and villages affected by Israeli attacks are coming to the forefront of questions, from the fate of schools that were completely destroyed, to the conditions of schools located in occupied and threatened villages, all the way to the fate of students and teachers who were forced to displace.
In this context, the head of the Basic Education Association, Hassan Jawad, pointed out, in an interview with “Lebanon Debate,” that the minister’s visit to Nabatieh and Tire will be an opportunity to present a group of concerns and suggestions related to the academic year, stressing that the basic question revolves around the fate of students and teachers in villages whose schools are in danger or have become out of service.
Jawad points out that the schools of the occupied villages must remain in place, “even on paper,” by retaining a director, principal, employee, or employee in them, because closing them permanently, in his opinion, is not limited to the administrative aspect, but may practically achieve a goal of emptying these villages, ignoring their society, and destroying its components.
As for the students, Jawad presents to the Ministry of Education more than one option, including keeping them registered in their basic schools and automatically transferring them to schools located in areas of displacement, or adopting distance education or blended education, according to circumstances and capabilities. He stresses that the most important thing is not to close schools permanently due to the war, and to maintain students’ connection to their schools and villages.
In parallel, Jawad raises the file of teachers who were displaced from their villages, considering that what is required is to find a quick mechanism to attach teachers in the schools to the schools in the places of their displacement, instead of burdening school funds or family councils with additional burdens to provide education, while the public schools themselves need more teachers.
He stresses that school funds cannot become an alternative to the state in providing educational staff, pointing out that schools are already suffering from accumulated financial burdens, and that part of the funds’ funds goes to paying the dues of employees and workers who have become necessary to conduct work, instead of directing the funds to developing the educational process.
He added that some schools over the past years have borne the burden of employing a large number of workers at their expense, which has depleted their financial capabilities, at a time when school administrations are still waiting for late payments. Therefore, he believes that any new money that will reach school funds must first contribute to addressing the accumulated debts, and not turn into an additional door to burden the school with responsibilities that primarily fall on the Lebanese government.
The school year in the south… Will the plan succeed?
Regarding the possibility of starting the school year in the south in light of the continuing attacks, Jawad believes that it is not impossible, but it requires removing a number of obstacles and developing a clear plan, especially since the war has been going on for months, and therefore the situation in schools cannot be treated as if it were an emergency surprise.
He points out that there are schools that are still being used for shelter, in addition to schools located in front villages and occupied areas, which requires the Ministry of Education to adopt a practical plan that includes more than one scenario, from in-person education to blended or distance education, all the way to transferring an entire school or part of its students to another building in the displacement area.
Jawad gives the example of the possibility of transferring the students of a school from the villages of the south to an available building in Tire, Sidon, or other areas, so that the students continue their education and their original school remains administratively active until the families return.
What about the student? What about the teacher?
Regarding the minister’s meeting with school principals in the south tomorrow, Jawad says that the basic questions he will ask revolve around three files: the fate of the student, the fate of the teacher, and the fate of contractors and workers in schools that were disrupted by the war.
He stresses that a teacher who was displaced from his town should not find himself without school or work just because his original school has become in an unsafe area, suggesting that he be temporarily assigned to schools in the areas to which he was displaced, whether in the suburb, Sidon, Tyre, the Chouf, or elsewhere, especially since the public schools in these areas already need additional educational staff.
Jawad concludes by stressing that what is required of the Ministry of Education today is not to wait for developments in the war to make decisions, but rather to have a clear and flexible plan that guarantees the continuation of education, protects schools, students and teachers, and at the same time maintains the attendance of the official school in the border and occupied villages, until its people return to it.
