BEIRUT — Secretary-General of the Teachers' Syndicate Osama Arnaout called on caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi to "take decisive action regarding the scheduling of official exams," for grade 12 students, emphasizing the importance of conducting exams on time, the state-run National News agency reported Thursday. 

On April 30, the caretaker education minister announced the cancellation of the official brevet exam. He had also reduced the number of baccalaureate exams (grade 12) by authorizing the choice of optional subjects.

Controversy has arisen in Lebanon regarding whether the official exams should be held this year, particularly in light of the ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel since Oct. 8.

"It is neither educationally nor psychologically acceptable for students to endure such conditions. It is necessary to provide students with a conducive environment for effective exam preparation, especially considering the pivotal role of secondary school exams in facilitating students' transition to universities, both locally and internationally," Arnaout said.

Some officials, primarily from the Amal-Hezbollah alliance, are pushing for the cancellation of the exams, arguing that they would penalize students from southern Lebanon, while maronite bishops had called for their organization and criticized the removal of some subjects. 

According to UNICEF, 44 public schools have been closed in southern Lebanon, affecting the education of approximately 10,000 students.