Schools and Universities in Lebanon in 2021 - The country’s crises threaten their sustainability

Opinion analysis by Maria Wehbe, Staff Writer

Over the past year and a half, people all over the world have been faced with the unpredictable and tragic threat of the COVID-19 pandemic that wrecked countries and tore families apart. Yet, in the case of Lebanon, the COVID-19 pandemic is one big problem among many others, and for some citizens, isn’t even one to begin with. From a deadly explosion that rocked the capital city of Beirut, to the hyperinflation, to the economic crisis, to the fuel crisis, to the shortage of medication and basic necessities, and the list goes on: the country is truly one that is in absolute crisis. One sector that particularly took a very big hit was the education sector: teachers and professors are fleeing the country, one after the other, in the hope of finding better opportunities abroad. Some schools and universities are being threatened of closing down and there is a limited amount of internet connection to conduct classes online and there is a limited amount of fuel to go to schools and universities to conduct classes in-person. And so, the question is this: will schools and universities be able to remain open this academic year, or will they succumb to the various crises that are taking the country by storm?