The headquarters of the Ministry of Education in Beirut. (Credit: ANI)
Lebanon's Education Ministry issued a statement Saturday emphasizing that the decision to distribute diplomas to Syrian students who passed official exams, as decided by the Cabinet, "in no way facilitates their residency in Lebanon if not authorized by the authorities, as General Security ensures that appropriate measures are taken."
The statement highlights that the "educational path of displaced Syrians is completely independent of that of Lebanese students," and that this measure has no effect on the latter.
The Free Patriotic Movement's (FPM) "Higher Education Council" strongly criticized the Cabinet's decision, threatening legal action to prevent its implementation. The FPM's statement condemns what it describes as a "decision to allow Syrian students to enroll in technical institutes even if they do not have legal residency permits," which it argues opposes Lebanese law.
The FPM is outraged by the decision to award diplomas to Syrian students, arguing that "this would encourage Syrian families residing illegally in Lebanon to stay, as long as they are guaranteed quality education."
"The FPM will take all necessary legal measures against this illegal decision to protect the country's interests," the statement continues.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea echoed this sentiment, calling the decision "illegal" and arguing that it "would not only encourage Syrians in an irregular situation to remain in Lebanon, but also prompt those in Syria to send their children to enroll in technical institutes in Lebanon, to the detriment of Lebanese students." He urged caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi to promptly reverse this decision.
The Education Ministry, for its part, emphasized in a statement that it "is merely following the educational policy decided by the government regarding Syrian students."
"The ministry regularly provides General Security with the full names and available documents of any displaced Syrian candidates who have passed the official exams, so that follow-up can be carried out in the residency permit process," it added.
On Sunday, caretaker Minister of Tourism Walid Nassar said that the decision to register Syrian students in schools was not among the items discussed by the cabinet. He asked the General Secretariat to include the issue in the cabinet's next session's agenda for further consultation.
"The decision of the caretaker government to allow Syrians who do not have a residency or a card from the High Commissioner for Refugees ... to register in public and private institutes and schools in Lebanon for the academic year 2024-2025 ... came from outside the cabinet's agenda," Nassar said.
"The [caretaker] education minister's explanation of this [decision] was brief ... at a time when the ministers were not able to study its dimensions to take the appropriate decision regarding it."
Nassar also requested the caretaker education minister "to freeze the decision before it is re-discussed by the government and to limit it only to the Syrian students residing legally in Lebanon, thus, allowing them to register for the third year — exclusively for one academic year 2024-2025."
The Cabinet’s decision "prohibits the enrollment of any Syrian student for the 2025/2026 academic year who does not have legal residency," the statement concludes.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
