The students of the state-run Lebanese University (LU) have not yet started their academic year due to the professors’ strike, which began five weeks ago.
Many low-income students attend the Lebanese University (LU) and, with the economic situation worsening, they are unable to transfer to a private university or travel to continue their studies abroad.
The majority of Lebanese families live in poverty, and those who can afford to send their children to university have their money stuck in banks due to the imposed capital control. That has led to more demands for the Lebanese University.
The Lebanese officials have not found a real solution to the professors’ demands.
The full-time professors’ strike is driven by their demands to become staff professors, namely permanent staff.
According to University President Bassam Badran, the documents for these professors are ready and will be submitted to the Ministry of Education in the next two days for review and submission to the Council of Ministers.
As for the hourly-contract professors, there is a huge discrepancy on the sectarian and partisan levels, which will delay the decision on their file. It is up to PM Najib Mikati to work on it quickly to save the academic year.
It is uncertain what will happen to these files when submitted by the Ministry of Education to the Council of Ministers since the sessions of the latter are currently suspended. Meanwhile, the education of tens of thousands of LU’s students is on hold.
