The Agency conducted an interview with Abbas Al-Halabi, the former Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education, about education in Arab countries in general and in Lebanon in particular. He shared his vision regarding the future of education and its quality, comparing in-person education to online (distance) education.
Initially, I thank you for this opportunity. I believe generalizations in the education sector are inappropriate, as some schools suffer from overcrowding, while others complain about a lack of students. For example, in the Lebanese model, we find schools and high schools with not many students. Thus, the idea of overcrowding in schools is not universally applicable.
There are also popular areas where private education is unavailable, leading to a significant influx into public and official secondary schools, while others truly suffer from a decrease in student numbers. This raises the issue of educational quality, which I believe is linked not only to quantity but also to the quality of the teacher, their competence and experience, and their ability to transfer this expertise to their students through improved teaching mechanisms.
I have conducted numerous tours in schools and vocational institutes over the past three and a half years, confirming that a school’s success is linked to its principal’s success. If the principal is competent, serious, and possesses a professional spirit and genuine pedagogical talents, they can often address the issues faced by students in public or government schools.
Therefore, I believe generalizations should be avoided. While there are complaints about complexity and declining standards, there are also very successful cases in some schools, which are linked to their management. This is an experience we have encountered, especially in schools that cannot accommodate all students in a single session, splitting them into two shifts: one before noon and another in the afternoon or evening.
For example, in Lebanon, when Syrian siblings had to leave their country and enter Lebanon, we had to accommodate these students in public schools during the evening shift, to avoid differences between Lebanese and Syrian students, based on our national, ethical, and cultural convictions.
I believe this can be a successful solution, provided that the burden of double shifts is not placed on the same teaching staff, as teachers have limited capacity, and teaching is not an easy profession. It is complex and difficult for those who aspire to be successful educators. Teaching is a sacred profession, and placing the burden of two full shifts on the same teacher will undoubtedly affect their performance and the level of competence and education we aim to achieve.
If there are specialized teaching staff for the morning shift, then there should be different teaching staff for the evening shift. I believe that with a competent principal monitoring the situation, educational efficiency can be maintained in both morning and evening shifts.
We also experienced this during the COVID-19 period, where in-person education was not feasible in higher education or pre-university general education, leading some educational institutions to adopt online education, a system used by many universities and educational systems in various countries.
However, there are obstacles that need to be addressed through legislation. First, a precise and detailed legislative framework for the concept of online education is necessary, as online education is not an emotional matter. With the commercial tendency of some in the educational sector, there is a fear of exploiting the concept of online education by accepting a large number of students that do not match the available academic capabilities, whether in universities or schools.
Hence, I insist on setting a precise and detailed legislative framework to regulate the admission process in distance education. I reiterate that online education has many advantages, and some universities in certain countries have adopted this approach, but there are legislative and legal controls to prevent cheap exploitation.
I have examples from some universities, where when the COVID-19 crisis occurred and the Ministry of Education approved online education, the academic capabilities and teaching staff could not accommodate more than a thousand students. Yet, five or six thousand students were registered to generate financial returns from university or school fees.
Therefore, I am very cautious and say: if strict legislative, legal, and systemic controls are in place, then it is acceptable for this to be available. But certainly, the benefit of in-person education far exceeds the benefit of online education, especially in practical and scientific education, which can only be conducted in person.
Exams can only be conducted in person; online exams cannot be relied upon, and this has been the case in many situations. Indeed, all the necessary elements in the school environment should be available.
However, there are countries, systems, and schools that lack these capabilities. Yet, we also know that those who are eager to learn, even under the shade of a tree, will learn, as learning does not require advanced infrastructure. The desire for knowledge is not at all linked to the level of infrastructure in schools or the availability of laboratories.
If we start from this principle, I say that if all laboratories, electricity, water, good infrastructure, and quality books are available, it will undoubtedly create a healthier and more suitable environment for students. However, if these components are not fully or partially available, should we prevent students from learning?
The amount of knowledge that can be provided, even at its minimum, is much better than depriving students completely of learning. This is a legitimate and important question.
Do educational curricula in Arab countries really take into account labor market studies and the need to produce competencies? I do not believe this is present in many Arab countries, as each team deals with the other in isolation, rather than in a harmonious or interactive manner. The labor market creates job opportunities, while universities sometimes produce certificates unrelated to the market.
For example, the case of engineers in Lebanon: there are more than 6 or 7 universities graduating engineers in Lebanon, and each university graduates large numbers of engineers. The Lebanese market may not absorb this large number of engineers each year. The response is that we do not graduate engineers only for the local market but also for traveling abroad, which raises another issue of providing opportunities for the development cycle in the local market.
For instance, if the local market needs 500 engineers a year, while 3000 or 4000 are being graduated, the surplus of graduates will inevitably resort to traveling and seeking opportunities outside the country. This is not comforting for the country, even if it sometimes yields economic returns through expatriate remittances.
However, countries experiencing this mass migration need many policies to ensure that these competencies do not leave and remain within the economic movement context, not in this random and unplanned manner. I urge universities and higher education institutions, especially public and private ones, to conduct regular studies on labor market needs and guide their students towards the specializations needed by the local market to absorb graduates from these institutions. Otherwise, we encourage a surplus in specializations and universities’ plans become disconnected from the government’s economic development plan, creating a near-separation between the two, which does not serve the public interest.
The whole issue relates to incentives. I often recall an experience because I lived it. For example, at one time, a teacher’s income in public education exceeded that of private education, and I received many requests to transition from private to public education – a strange paradox! Usually, the private sector offers higher salaries in the education sector or all other sectors.
What happened was that transitions occurred from private to public. Now, after the differential advantage in public education stopped, public school teachers naturally resort to working additional hours in private education. This phenomenon is widespread in the Lebanese teaching sector, as their salary is insufficient, prompting them to seek more money by working in private educational institutions.
Regarding migration abroad, there was a period when migration occurred when salary levels in the educational sector declined, whether in the public or private sector. Some had to travel abroad where job opportunities were available, but let me say it was a limited phenomenon, not widespread, as migration is not easy, and living conditions outside the homeland are also not easy.
Thus, it was limited and involved a small number of teaching staff who obtained unpaid leave and were seconded for a year or two to educational institutions outside the country, gathered some savings, then returned.
The Ministry of Education oversees the education sector, which, if we want, is the regulatory authority for the education sector in all its branches. We speak of vocational education, pre-university general education in both elementary and secondary stages, and higher education. Therefore, there are the private and public sectors.
Based on this, the Ministry of Education is the regulator of the education sector. Now, a very large part of the education sector in Lebanon is private. For example, about 75% of Lebanese students are in the private sector, and only a quarter are in the public sector.
The state does not interfere in the private sector’s affairs, as private schools in Lebanon are protected by the Lebanese constitution and educational freedom is safeguarded. The authority of the Ministry of Education is limited to being a regulating authority for this sector, and it cannot interfere more than that in this matter.
Are there joint projects? No, there aren’t. It can be said that it is a mix of both. Some governments do not allocate the globally recommended percentage for educational budgets, usually ranging between 13% to 15% of the state’s annual budget, and we find that some countries only allocate 5%, 7%, or 10%, instead of the recognized percentage that education should have in the state’s budget.
On the other hand, there is a severe shortage of financial resources allocated from the state’s general budget to the education sector. Additionally, there might be corruption or negligence in managing the available financial resources in the education sector. When funds are embezzled and oversight is absent, and when there are no mechanisms leading to governance of public fund management, it might lead to tampering with some financial resources, corrupting the work of schools and some other educational institutions. Therefore, I say it is a mix of both factors.
The teacher is the most important link in the educational process, alongside the student, of course. However, if we continue with the current state, with the income level of the educational family in Lebanon or Arab countries declining, we will find a scarcity in the interest in this essential missionary profession.
Becoming a teacher should not be a leftover option for those who cannot find another job. A teacher is a very important person, needing effort, a strong personality, and should love this profession to excel in it. Teachers should be honored like judges and military personnel, as these are all crucial roles in building society.
To encourage interest in the teaching profession and ensure the teacher’s status and dignity are not diminished, appropriate financial conditions should be provided to ensure a reasonable standard of living. We face a difficult situation; imagine a teacher whose income was $1,000 or $1,200 a month, suddenly having an income of $40 a month! How can you expect a teacher earning $40 a month to enter the classroom and teach children?
This has led to a lot of frustration, migration, and intolerance. If financial conditions are available, education will flourish again, and a financially comfortable teacher is indispensable for serious engagement in the educational process. Most importantly, a teacher should keep learning and developing themselves, training on new methods to acquire the skills necessary to advance the teaching profession.
Parents play a big role; there is a saying, “Parents sell their land to educate their children,” meaning education is a priority for them in their children’s upbringing. Even if they are in financial distress, they sell their house or anything else to provide education for their children. Of course, the biggest challenge is having an official educational system that accommodates those without means, so education does not become exclusive to the rich.
It is not right for only the children of the wealthy to be educated, while those without money are deprived of education. This is the philosophy of existence, to accommodate children who lack resources. I say to parents – knowing that conditions are difficult – I understand their struggle with the greed of some private educational institutions that hike tuition fees from year to year by 30% or 40%, and in foreign currency, without justifications warranting such increases.
The demand from the state is to amend the law and allow the Ministry of Education to set controls for private schools in determining their tuition fees. Trading has become prevalent, where fees increase at a much higher rate than the increase given to the teacher. They do not increase the teacher’s salary by the same percentage as they increase the fees.
