Teachers' Association Condemns Education Ministry's Approach to Exams and Governance

The Association of Contracted Teachers of Public Basic Education in Lebanon has directed sharp criticism at the Ministry of Education's handling of official examinations, sending a formal communication to Prime Minister Judge Nawaf Salam that raises concerns about the decision-making process and ministerial conduct.

In their letter, the association challenged the approach taken by Education Minister Rima Karami regarding the examinations file. The group took issue with a ministry meeting on the subject, arguing that despite being framed as a gathering of the "educational family," it was held with significant discretionary power and excluded key voices. Representatives from the teachers' association, parent committees, and other educational bodies were not invited to participate.

The association characterized the minister's governance model as problematic, noting that Karami dismissed educational perspectives that diverged from her positions as "demagoguery"—a characterization the association viewed as an attempt to diminish and demean legitimate criticism.

The letter acknowledged that the Prime Minister's recent intervention had initially eased tensions surrounding the Ministry's examination decisions. However, the association expressed concern that the minister subsequently organized another meeting independently, resurrecting the controversy. This move came shortly after the State Shura Council suspended one of the minister's decisions the previous week, which the association had flagged as an infringement on freedom of expression.

According to the association, the minister exhibits a pattern of personalizing her role at the ministry, sidelining those who question her direction and punishing critics of her policies. The association traced this behavior back to earlier disputes, including conflicts during protests by contract professors seeking social benefits.

The teachers' group had hoped the ministry's meeting would represent progress, but instead concluded it demonstrated a one-sided management approach to education. They highlighted a discrepancy in data as evidence of inconsistency: the Director General of Education presented figures on student numbers in unsafe areas that differed from statistics the minister had previously cited.

The association pointed to calls from meeting attendees to cancel official examinations as reflecting the substantial divide between the Education Ministry and the broader educational community—educators, students, and families alike. This disconnect, they argued, stems from the ministry's disregard for public preferences and unwillingness to genuinely engage with stakeholder concerns.

The association emphasized that it had chosen to publicize its position through media outlets because, in their assessment, channels for dialogue within the Ministry of Education remain closed. They reaffirmed their commitment to principles of equality and fairness in the educational system, contending that "developing people carries greater significance than generating statistics." The association stressed that students deserve to experience state support through their education ministry, not to be divided by examinations that foster feelings of abandonment.

The group cautioned against allowing Lebanese students to bear the consequences of institutional failings, calling instead for students to perceive genuine state backing rather than experiencing education as a mechanism of selection and exclusion.

In concluding their message, the association expressed hope that the government would not face attacks through educational channels, and that the education sector would evolve into a space for genuine dialogue, collaborative partnership, and equitable treatment—with human development as the paramount concern rather than becoming a venue for discord and discretionary decision-making.