Students' return to the classroom after prolonged COVID-19 closures has been prolonged by teachers' strikes. (Credit: Marc Fayad)
BEIRUT —Education Minister Abbas Halabi said Saturday that the government had begun talks with the World Bank about three weeks ago, "aimed at securing additional incentives for teachers, contractors, and all workers in vocational education with all their names," the National News Agency reported.
Here's what we know:
• Teachers in Lebanon's public schools have carried out a series of strikes and protests over their low wages and transportation allowances, among other issues. A public school teacher's salary might amount to LL2 million, or the equivalent of $100 a month, while fuel and transportation costs have skyrocketed.
• Following a series of school closures due to protests in late 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020, the strikes have further prolonged the time children are out of the classroom.
• Halabi said that "the ministry is working during the weekend to complete the accounting procedures and set the frames of reference in order to cooperate with an external audit company, to meet the conditions set by the World Bank ... and it is expected that these requirements will be completed early next week."
• Minister Al-Halabi said that the World Bank assistance would be in addition to promised additional payments of $90 per month from the government. The Education Minister said ministry staff are working to verify teacher and staff data and have almost completed the work "and therefore the payment of $90 will become regular in the coming days for all."
• He said he had requested the Ministry of Finance to transfer funds for the additional payments and that he had given directions to the administration to follow up on "the mechanism for implementing the cabinet's decision regarding the payment of transportation allowance for three days a week to contract teachers to teach in public schools."