All-inclusive collapse is inching closer as sectors are crumbling one after another amid the economic, and financial crisis. The education sector likewise others has been affected harshly by the crisis. There is high rate of school dropouts due to the mass exodus of students from private schools to public schools. Private schools are laying off teachers amid their inability to pay salaries.
Journalist Walid Hussein told Sawt Beirut International (SBI) reporter Mahasen Morsel that a mass emigration is hitting schools in Lebanon. He added: “If all Lebanese were able to emigrate, they would not hesitate to do so.”
Hussein said that a large number of professors in private universities have emigrated, including professors from the American University of Beirut, as well as a large number of Lebanese University professors.
“It is now the turn of private and public school teachers,” he said. At the Grand Lycée, 60 professors submitted their resignations to migrate to the Gulf countries and Erbil. Additional 30 professors are about to adopt the same process. He said that in the compensation fund, there are 1,800 compensation requests, of which 330 requests for retirees, which means that about 1,500 professors have plans to migrate.
Teachers are suffering from a catastrophic situation, according to Hussein. “In reputable and high-quality schools, the salary of a teacher do not exceed 3.5 million LBP, which is equivalent to $220 currently.”
Regarding schools that its teachers are paid by the French embassy, Hussein said, “Meetings took place with the French mission, were members confirmed that the tuition fees will be raised without increasing the teachers’ salaries or providing them additional incentives.”
However, Hussein said that some of these schools are paying a proportion in fresh dollars to avoid teachers’ emigration, especially that there is high demand on qualified teachers and professors who have long years of experience.
Hussein said that if the French do not address the immigration issue for both students and teachers, the Francophone education will struggle, and reach its end in Lebanon.”
The educational sector is being hit severely, as the schools are unable to retain the elite teachers anymore. Students in various stages will be only paying the cost of this disaster.