The Contractual Teachers of Lebanese Public Primary Schools League (LECP) announced it filed a notice for a strike in public schools from Wednesday morning until Sunday evening, according to the state-run National News Agency. Later, the League of Professors of the Lebanese University announced that it would observe a strike in the university offices on Thursday, March 20, and Friday, March 21.

According to a statement issued by the LECP, the call for strike was launched in response to teachers being denied their summer attendance and productivity allowances. Additionally, teachers are demanding an increase in their contractual hourly wage, currently at $8, to return it to $13 "as before." The committee stated that the strike would escalate on Thursday since some schools had not received the strike notice by Tuesday evening.

Before the strike, the LECP conducted a survey that revealed that 99.7 percent of affected teachers were dissatisfied with the cancellation of the summer semester productivity allowance, while 97.4 percent of teachers were unsatisfied with the contractual hourly rate of $8.

According to the statement issued by LECP leader Nisrine Chahine, the strike aims to "pave the way for negotiations with the Education Ministry and the government to restore the rights of contractual colleagues." Depending on the outcomes, the strike might be extended, she added.

Earlier in the month, Education Minister Rima Karameh announced an increase in the contractual public teachers' hourly wage to 366,000 L.L. (about $4) for primary and secondary levels and 660,000 L.L. (about $7.3) for secondary education. She also stated that the productivity bonus would be incorporated into public sector teachers' salaries.

On Wednesday evening, the League of Professors of the Lebanese University announced that they would observe a strike in the university offices on Thursday, March 20, and Friday, March 21. They particularly demand that "the payment of the allowance for this month be made within the allotted time." "This action is a first warning," added the League. "It results from ongoing attempts to meet with the Education Minister via her office and advisers, who had promised to contact us, then disappeared and do not answer our calls."

The Lebanese educational system, both public and private, has been in crisis since the Lebanese pound began to depreciate in 2019 at the onset of the economic and financial crisis. The situation worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic, the dual explosion at the Beirut port in August 2020 and a wave of teacher resignations and strikes as salaries lost their value. The war between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on Oct. 8, 2023, further paralyzed the sector, destroying many schools in southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa.