Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairing the Council of Ministers at the Grand Serail, on June 15, 2026. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced Monday that he would ''wait before making a final decision regarding whether or not to hold the official baccalaureate exams.''
However, he assured that the exams, originally scheduled for June 29, ''will be postponed at least until early July, so everyone can prepare in case these exams are maintained.'' He recalled that the alternative ''would be to grant certificates from the schools themselves.''
Salam explained that he ''preferred to wait before making a final decision regarding the exams, to be sure that the cease-fire [in Lebanon] will indeed be implemented.'' '''In any case, we have no choice but to postpone them,'' he said, speaking on the sidelines of the Cabinet meeting he chaired Monday at the Grand Serail.
Thousands of students are waiting for a decision from the government and the Education Ministry regarding whether official exams will be held this year. The outbreak of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel forced thousands of families to relocate or live in combat zones, which has greatly disrupted the schooling of many students.
The death of two students from Qlayya and their father a few weeks ago on the road to South Lebanon, as they returned from university, further heightened the pressure. Education Minister Rima Karameh, who initially wanted to keep the exams while introducing ''exceptions'' for students in conflict zones, has been the target of harsh criticism for weeks. Monday's Cabinet meeting was expected to answer students' concerns.
The cease-fire the prime minister refers to is the one included in the agreement reached by the United States and Iran on Monday, expected to be signed in Geneva on Friday. The truce remains fragile in Lebanon, notably due to Israeli refusal to comply and previous failed agreements.
''Because of the multiple speculations and rumors about the fate of the baccalaureate exams, I have closely followed this issue with Minister Rima Karameh in recent days,'' Salam continued.
He emphasized that ''the government's mission is to preserve the quality of education in Lebanon while ensuring students have the right to see their years of studies crowned with an official diploma. It is also to guarantee their safety and not expose them to any danger in these exceptional circumstances the country is experiencing.'' ''It is also about ensuring equal opportunities among all candidates as much as possible,'' he added.
Karameh to hold expanded meeting Tuesday
For her part, Karameh welcomed ''the decision to wait before canceling the official exams, far from all the demagoguery that has prevailed lately,'' in reference to the criticism she has faced. ''The waiting period will not be long; it is just a time to assess the situation and developments,'' she added. ''I will hold an expanded educational meeting tomorrow. It is important to discuss the repercussions of any decision that will be made.''
For the minister, ''it is important not to treat any student unfairly, and we have focused on conflict zones and families who have been directly affected by the war.'' She assured, in response to journalists' questions, that the ministry has lists of where the students are, and that ''any decision will take their future into account.''
''We have agreed, with the prime minister, to keep the options open until we can evaluate the situation, but what is certain is that the exams will not be held on June 29 as initially planned,'' Karameh continued. Asked about students' uncertainty regarding whether they should study, the minister noted that ''studying is never a waste of time; acquiring knowledge will only be beneficial.''
Salam hopeful for 'success' of cease-fire
According to Information Minister Paul Morcos, who read out the decisions of the Cabinet, the prime minister said he ''hopes the announcement of the cease-fire [in Lebanon] will succeed, and that this agreement reached by the United States and Iran can put an end to this war, the deaths, the destruction, the displacement and all the tragedies experienced by the Lebanese.''
''I can only sincerely thank all those who contributed to this outcome,'' he added.
Nonetheless, the prime minister maintained that ''the efforts made during the ongoing negotiations in Washington must be intensified to achieve an Israeli withdrawal from our land and the release of our detainees'' in Israeli prisons.
He was responding to several statements from Hezbollah, particularly the party's latest statement — without naming it — which regularly call on the Lebanese authorities to abandon direct talks with Tel Aviv, launched in April under U.S. sponsorship (the next meeting is scheduled for June 22).
The prime minister, along with President Joseph Aoun, regularly stresses their commitment to the negotiations started by the Lebanese state on behalf of the country, refusing to be a mere bargaining chip in the hands of the Iranians at the negotiating table with the United States.
Furthermore, Morcos announced that the Cabinet had approved the majority of items on its agenda. These mainly concern hiring at the Central Inspection, the creation of a company called "Beirut Airport Company" at the request of the Ministry of Public Works, a direct contract that the Central Bank of Lebanon wants to sign with an audit firm specializing in tracking money transfers, the reactivation of a National Price Policy Council at the economy ministry, and a request from the environment ministry regarding an integrated household waste management plan.
