Public school teachers protest in Tripoli against deteriorating working conditions, Jan. 9, 2023. (Courtesy of Michel Hallak/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Public school teachers staged a protest in front of the Education Ministry in the UNESCO area of Beirut on Wednesday morning to demand higher salaries, given the extreme devaluation of the national currency.
"We only want to live in dignity, not more," one teacher said. "In all other sectors, the salaries have increased, except for the teachers," another teacher stated.
Some teachers lay part of the blame on their unions for taking so long to state their demands. Union leaders responded by asking teachers to set their divisions aside to strengthen their cause.
Public school teachers' unions across the country a strike that was meant to last from Monday until Sunday to protest deteriorating salaries and a lack of government assistance. However, only 25 percent of public school teachers observed the strike as of Monday, according to the president of the League of Public School Teachers, Hussein Jawad.
Caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi announced last Thursday a decision to give the teachers an extra $5 for every day they attend the schools, but teachers describe the move as "humiliating."
In response, Halabi suspended his decision on Monday. In a statement, he said he "did not know that his initiative would be perceived as an attack on the dignity of members of the teaching profession."
Severely affected by the financial collapse of the country, public school teachers have protested repeatedly to demand an increase in their salaries.