Karameh seeks proposals for alternatives to Baccalaureate exams

BEIRUT — Education Minister Rima Karameh is seeking alternatives for this year’s official Baccalaureate exams after the Cabinet opted not to take a final decision on whether they should proceed, the state-run National News Agency reported Wednesday.

The issue remains unresolved amid continued concerns over the impact of the war on students' homes and well-being, and schools.

Karameh held an expanded virtual consultation with education stakeholders on Wednesday to discuss possible solutions, including whether to maintain the exams under the Education Ministry’s previously-established flexible framework, postpone them, or introduce other exceptional measures.

The minister warned that Lebanon’s recurring instability could create similar challenges at the start of the next academic year, potentially reigniting the same debate over official exams. She asked participants to submit proposals and alternatives that could help reach a solution while preserving “the credibility of the Lebanese diploma and students’ rights."

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Will Lebanon hold or cancel baccalaureate exams amid war?

The meeting followed a recommendation by Parliament’s Education Committee to reconsider the organization of the baccalaureate exams. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had also postponed the first examination session to allow additional time for preparation, while Lebanon waited for clarity on political and security developments, amid an uncertain cease-fire with Israel.

Participants included senior Education Ministry officials, representatives of private schools and teachers’ unions, as well as principals from public and private secondary schools, particularly from areas most hit by Israeli attacks and its occupation, namely south Lebanon, Nabatieh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, and Baalbeck-Hermel.

During the discussions, stakeholders highlighted the difficulties faced by students and schools during the final months of the war. Positions differed on how to proceed, with some calling for the cancellation of the exams, while others supported holding them under the ministry’s existing flexible framework, which includes three examination sessions. Other proposals included making them optional for students.

Karameh said she would review the proposals before presenting recommendations to the Cabinet, stressing that any decision should take into account educational fairness and students’ individual circumstances.

“Student safety and educational justice have always been red lines,” Karameh said, according to NNA. She noted that the ministry’s framework includes a reduced curriculum covering material taught before the escalation of hostilities, as well as arrangements allowing students displaced by Israeli attacks to sit for exams in their new areas of residence.

The minister also stressed the need to address the "long-term consequences of exceptional measures adopted during the conflict," saying the education sector "must find solutions to preserve students’ academic futures and the quality of their learning experience."

The controversy over the fate of the official baccalaureate examinations continues, as the debate unfolds against the backdrop of deep political and geographic divisions over Lebanon’s education response during wartime, with the Hezbollah-Amal alliance reportedly opposed to proceeding with exams under current conditions, given the scale of displacement and disruption affecting their communities.