A court in Beirut has ruled in favor of students of the Lebanese American University (LAU) who paid their tuition fees at the official exchange rate rather than the higher exchange rate the university wants to adopt.
The Judge of Urgent Matters in Beirut, Hala Naja, has ordered the university to accept the payments and allow students to obtain all services as other students.
Otherwise, LAU will receive a 10,000,000 LBP fine for each day it violates the decision for a period of one month until the Court of First Instance in Beirut makes a decision regarding the rights of these students, according to Al-Jadeed.
“First win in our battle to prove that LAU students should be able to settle their tuition at the legal rate!” wrote LAU independent student and activist Leen El-Harake on Instagram.
“This court decision ensures that all students who decided to pay their tuition at 1,515 LBP have full rights to attend their classes and remain enrolled until the lawsuit is settled,” she explained. “It is also a clear indicator that the law is in fact on our side!”
This comes after students at the American University of Beirut (AUB) won a lawsuit against the university’s administration allowing them to pay through a notary at the official rate.
