Bou Saab Soothes Fears: Grade 12 Students to Enroll at University despite Discord

Education Minister Elias Bou Saab stressed on Wednesday that Grade 12 students will be able to enroll at universities despite the failure to reach an agreement between the Syndicate Coordination Committee and officials over the new pay hike for public employees.

“The exams will only be corrected via the SCC, they will not be forced and the students will not be granted statements that they have passed their official exams without correction,” Bou Saab said during a sit-in held by Grade 12 students in Beirut's UNESCO area near the Ministry of Education.

He noted that “starting today (Wednesday) and until the eid al-Fitr we will reach a mechanism that would allow students to register at universities.”

The SCC’s suspension of the exams correction had left Grade 12 students in disarray as they are awaiting the results to enroll in university while Grade 9 students, who underwent the Brevet exams, need to pass their tests in order to enter the secondary school.

“Giving students passing statements harms the educational system in Lebanon,” Bou Saab said.

He told reporters that he is keen to safeguard the rights of the teachers, expressing hope that a breakthrough would be reached soon.

Parliamentary blocs have expressed their support for the employees' rights but have warned that Lebanon's ailing economy would suffer if the total funding was not reduced from LL2.8 trillion ($1.9 billion) to LL1.8 trillion ($1.2 billion).

They have also disagreed on how to raise taxes to fund the scale over fears of inflation and its affect on the poor.

Their differences have been exacerbated by the boycott of the March 14 alliance's MPs of the sessions aimed at discussing the draft-law under the excuse that parliament should not legislate in the absence of a president.

H.K.

M.T.