Minister of Education, Dr. Abbas Al-Halabi, on Thursday met with a European Union delegation, which included members of the European Parliament representing the EU Development Committee.

The Minister briefed the visiting delegation on educational projects in Lebanon which are funded by the European Union, and explained to them “the impact of the successive crises on the educational sector in the country.”

The Minister thanked the countries of the European Union that supported education in Lebanon through funding UN organizations or through joint projects.

“Public schools have suffered interrupted services as a result of strikes and the deterioration of the local currency’s exchange rate, but we have succeeded in encouraging teachers to resume their educational tasks through a series of incentives from donors and the Lebanese government,” the Minister said.

“We are working non-stop to improve the quality of education, develop educational curricula, and standardize statistical data through unified data,” he added.

Al-Halabi briefed the EU delegation on the ministry’s five-year plan and the national educational consultative meeting which was held under the auspices of the Prime Minister.

He then spoke about “educating the Lebanese and refugees alike in morning and evening shifts,” stressing “Lebanon’s clear position vis-a-vis its commitment to provide quality education to all children on Lebanese soil, including Lebanese nationals, refugees, and displaced persons, regardless of their nationalities and beliefs.”

Al-Halabi then pointed to “inclusive public schools that embrace students with learning difficulties and special needs, and the need to provide support for them, especially that the five-year plan includes a clear road map on the projects that the ministry intends to implement to advance education on the basis of modernization, digitization, governance, and transparency.”

The minister then handed the EU mission a copy of the ministry’s five-year plan.

He finally called for “providing alternative power supply for public schools through solar energy,” and spoke of “the importance of supporting school transportation due to its high costs to parents and teachers.”

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon