Once known as the leader in the region, and not long ago, Lebanon’s education has been severely impacted by the ongoing crises in the country. It is among the most crucial sectors affected.
Economic crisis, devaluation of the local currency, student demands, tuition in USD, emigration of students and educators, changes in policies to challenge the pandemic…
That’s what is mostly talked about when it comes to the education sector amid the crises.
But what is behind the scene that is little spoken about, yet is as crucial to know? The voices of the educators and directors struggling to navigate their mission through the storm.
In a quest to hear them out, 961News met with Nicole Ghobril, the elementary school director of the International School (IS) in Koura.
In this recorded interview, Ghobril explains the challenges that schools in Lebanon are facing and how educators and directors are dealing with them.
She goes through those who have been affected, not only professors or educators but also students and their parents.
Her words are pretty emotional as she emphasizes the significance of the learning sector.
In other words, for a country to rise from its problems, education plays the main role in preparing the youth to handle them, not only with what they learn from books or of languages but from what they acquire that develop their characters and personalities.
Education is a field that benefits the youth in all ways and hence enables them to build the required skills for the real world, not to forget the importance of the exchange and diversity that these institutions offer, which in turn increase a sense of tolerance in the students.
Despite the ongoing challenges she speaks about, Ghobril refuses to give a pessimistic conclusion. Instead, she brings her main focus to what schools CAN and SHOULD do.
In that, she speaks on behalf of all educational institutions in the country.
With the determination witnessed today among the Lebanese people to prevail, she tries to ensure an efficient continuation of education in all ways in order to provide all that she and her peers can for students and their families.
This interview makes us look at education and its importance not only from an academic perspective but more importantly from a human and moral perspective.
During these difficult times in Lebanon, Lebanese educators and directors have a major challenge to deal with and a big responsibility to bear.
They are working harder than usual to save the education sector and bring it back to its days of glory, all-knowing that to save the nation’s future they must save its today’s education.
A heavy responsibility that is little spoken about and acclaimed.