Caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi confirmed that the Lebanese official exams will take place as scheduled, starting June 29. Halabi held a meeting at the Grand Serail on Friday with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss the issue, and to confirm earlier statements he had made to an-Nahar. The confirmation was also announced by the ministry's Director General Imad el-Achkar on MTV on Thursday evening.
"We discussed the situation of education as the current academic year ends, and I assured his excellency that the Education Ministry has made all the necessary preparations to organize the official exams, which, God willing, will take place on time," Halabi stated.
Examination centers have been set up throughout Lebanon, Halabi announced, "particularly in the south and in Nabatieh." He has also prepared and signed off on the assignment of examination committees and observers.
There was some doubt about whether the official exams would be held on time due to the war in southern Lebanon, which deprived hundreds of students of regular and sufficient course attendance during the school year. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel began on Oct. 8, 2023, just as the school year was beginning.
Regarding the issue of students from southern Lebanon, who are either displaced or under bombardment, the minister specified that he is "looking for safer areas" to allow them to take their exams.
"Today, I will hold a meeting in my office to determine the examination centers, and from today onwards, we will officially announce the logistical measures we will take to ensure that the exams take place on time," Halabi said.
When asked by an-Nahar about the long-standing doubt about the holding of official exams, Halabi strongly criticized "these rumors that have been attributed to sources in the ministry and are devoid of any basis, revealing subversive intentions."
This message was reiterated at the Grand Serail, "They are trying to sabotage the spirit of the students, and I tell the students, listen to nothing but what is officially published by the Ministry of Education."
L'Orient-Le Jour tried to contact a ministry source, which had not yet responded at the time of publishing this information.
The dates for the baccalaureate exams were set on April 22 by the ministry to be held on June 29, July 1, 2, 4, and 5, 2024. Initially, the dates for the brevet were June 24, 25, 26 and 27, but this exam was canceled shortly after by the minister.
At the same time, the Center for Educational Research and Development (CRDP) published the final "reduced" list of curriculums to be studied, which does not exclude any subject and rejects optional choices. The fate of students from the South seems to have been left to the last minute.
'Depriving the country of exams is detrimental'
The president of the private schools syndicate, Nehme Mahfoud, criticized the uncertainty that has long hung over the holding of official exams.
"I tell students to continue studying as if the exams were starting on June 29," he told L’Orient-Le Jour.
The union leader believes that the problem mainly concerns the 700 to 800 students from areas along the border, who could not attend classes normally due to the war and the closure of their schools. Despite this, he emphasized that in the regions of Nabatieh and Saida, young people did not have the same problem.
"These students are indeed victims of injustice, but solutions can be applied to them, without depriving the rest of the country of official exams, which would be very detrimental to the education sector," he continued.
Mahfoud recalls that official exams are very important for disadvantaged students who are waiting to get high grades to apply for scholarships in Lebanon or abroad.
"Replacing exams with equivalencies is catastrophic because they are not accepted, especially abroad," he insisted.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.