Minister of Education Rima Karameh. (Credit: NNA)
The Minister of Education and Higher Education, Rima Karameh, held a press conference on Wednesday at the ministry, during which she announced that the official baccalaureate exams, in their four branches, will take place starting July 9. She specified that it was unnecessary to include optional subjects. The school year will continue until June 13, according to the needs of each institution.
"First of all, I want to express my solidarity with the candidates, their families, and their teachers, facing the anxiety they may feel, especially in the difficult context our dear country is going through, which has affected the learning level of students as well as the completion of the required program for the exams," the minister stated at the start of her press conference.
"The Ministry of Education has decided that the official baccalaureate exams, all streams combined, will take place from July 9 for a period of five effective days, according to a schedule that will be published online," said Karameh. The school year is extended until June 13. Each director can adapt the organization of classes according to the needs of their students." She also announced "the reduction of the content of certain subjects according to the needs, especially those with high coefficients, knowing that the exam programs are already reduced by 40 percent."
"It should be noted that, according to studies and opinions gathered, it is unnecessary to include optional subjects," she added.
"I am convinced that preserving the value of our official diplomas is an absolute priority," stated the minister. "I do not think any of us wishes to compromise their value despite the challenges. The credibility of our official exams, here and abroad, deserves all the efforts of preparation and implementation."
"Today, our mission is to preserve this national heritage together that we are proud of, built by brilliant students, here, in the Arab world, and worldwide," she said.
The minister also explained that "the exams will take place in a reassuring and favorable atmosphere, and that many documents will be available online, including: the Charter of Rights and Duties of the candidate, the official exam description, and the list of subjects by branch with coefficients and the detailed exam schedule."
The school year was disrupted since October 2023 in several regions of Lebanon by the latest war between Hezbollah and Israel. Large populations had to be displaced, hundreds of families are unable to return home, and many schools have been destroyed, notably in southern Lebanon. Not to mention that during two months, from late September to late November, the war intensified, and more than a million people were displaced to safer areas, hundreds of thousands of whom were housed in public schools across the country. As a result, many voices have been raised to demand a lightening of the programs to avoid disadvantaging students whose school year has been disrupted.
'The reality of Lebanese students'
During her press conference, the minister said that the "decisions made result from a thorough study conducted in cooperation between the ministry's administration and the Center for Educational Research and Development (CRDP), covering a sample of 334 public and private high schools, representative of the diversity of institutions and their realities." Her study also focused on the 218 high schools located in the regions most affected by Israeli attacks and total destruction, notably south Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and certain areas of the Bekaa and Baalbek-Hermel.
"I personally contacted, along with my team, the directors of high schools in these regions. I also met with student candidates, collected their opinions, as well as those of teachers, from the public and private sectors, and many stakeholders in education. I held meetings in different regions and took into account all concerns and recommendations related to education and exam preparation," she stated. "I also listened to the concerns of parents."
MP Bilal Hosheimi, a member of the parliamentary committee on education and higher education, expressed reservations about the minister's decision to exclude optional subjects from the Lebanese baccalaureate, "especially in the difficult circumstances faced by Lebanese students, between economic and psychological pressures." He called it "unacceptable that the Lebanese state recognizes the French and international baccalaureates (IB) that include optional subjects, while maintaining for our students a rigid program that burdens them and deprives them of opportunities to stand out."
"We are not against exams," the MP said, "but we ask that they be humane, fair, and take into account the reality of Lebanese students, instead of imposing a model that does not resemble them."
Hosheimi noted that it is "impossible to ignore the situation of teachers who are still on strike, some of whom have not even received their compensation for supervising or correcting previous exams."