Hussein Jawad, president of the League representing Middle school public teachers, during a press conference on June 26, 2023. (Courtesy of Muntasser Abdallah)
BEIRUT — A public middle school teachers' union on Monday denounced cabinet's decision last week to cancel this year's Brevet exams, calling the move a "sacrifice on the altar of destroying official education."
In a press conference, union president Hussein Jawad denounced the decision as "ill-considered" and called on authorities to reverse it "so that this does not mark the nail in the coffin of education for years to come."
Jawad denied that he wanted to keep the exam in place for financial reasons, as teachers are paid to supervise the tests.
He explained that his colleagues want the Brevet to go on as planned, pending a revision of curricula, because it serves as an "assessment stage" to see whether students have the skills to advance to secondary school.
Jawad added: "The Brevet exam establishes competition between official schools, which helps to raise standards and develop their performance."
The Brevet exam was officially canceled last Wednesday by the caretaker cabinet, due to "logistical difficulties for the forces of law and order" responsible for ensuring the security of the examination centers.
Official examinations were also canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 and a lack of funding.