Students at a public school in Bazourieh, South Lebanon, on July 3, 2024. Illustrative photo by Matthieu Karam.
The public education unions (primary, secondary, and vocational) sent an open letter on Tuesday to the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Rima Karameh, demanding the adoption of a “new salary scale in line with reality.”
Salaries in public education have been significantly reduced, similar to other public administrations, due to the economic and financial crisis that has hit Lebanon since 2019, which has greatly depreciated the value of salaries paid in Lebanese lira (LL).
“Our patience cannot last any longer, there is no more justification for this delay,” the text emphasizes, recalling that Karameh’s predecessor, Abbas Halabi, had already made promises to increase salaries during his term. “We take this opportunity to ask the government to start studying and adopting a new salary scale, as well as the payment of two additional months for the sake of equality with the rest of the public sector,” the letter adds.
A productivity bonus of $300 for "diligent" teachers was established under the previous mandate to boost productivity during the official exams season, while the hourly wage for contract workers remains set at LL 150,000/hour at the primary level and LL 180,000/hour at the secondary level, respectively one dollar and a half and two dollars per hour. Doubling this activity bonus was also part of the list of demands from public teachers at the time of the previous school year’s start, on Sept. 30, 2024.
Former minister Halabi had promised to grant compensation exceeding $400 instead of $300 and to increase the salaries of contract workers at the start of the school year.
Moreover, a parental contribution for each student set at LL 4,500,000 (approximately $50 at the current exchange rate) and nine million for foreigners (approximately $100), was implemented at that time to cover the operational costs of the establishments and the salaries of a part of their staff.
Schools have experienced repeated closures across the territory due to the war between Hezbollah and Israel, especially in southern Lebanon. At least 62 Lebanese teachers were also killed by Israeli bombings between Oct. 8, 2023, and Nov. 27, 2024.