On Thursday, Caretaker Minister Of Education, Abbas Al-Halabi, met with the delegation of the Federation of Private Educational Institutions to find solutions to the challenges of the academic year 2022/2023.
The Minister mentioned that many private schools are not respecting law 515 by dollarizing their tuition fees and stressed that the tuition should remain in Lebanese pounds.
“Many private schools have spiraled out of control, increasing tuition fees, yet I am keen on the continuity of educational institutions, taking into account the financial situation of parents”, he said, as reported by the state-run NNA.
Dr. Halabi continued by explaining that the government can’t handle the effects of the increase in tuition fees in private schools, which will lead to a massive wave of students transferring to public schools.
He explained that his “goal is to preserve private sector education, which embraces approximately two-thirds of the number of students in Lebanon.”
“The state does not have the capacity to receive all those students at the present time, and the laws in force prevent the Ministry of Education from hiring and contracting with new teachers,” he added.
Since the start of the economic crisis, the Lebanese educational sector has taken a massive hit and is at risk of collapse.
Many people are talking about a potential cancellation of the 2022/2023 school year due to the countless obstacles standing in the way of conducting classes next year, from the rise in gas and fuel prices to the dollarization of tuition fees of private schools and the harsh working conditions of teachers.
Related: The Lebanese 2022/2023 School Year Might Get Cancelled
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