The Lebanese Education Sector Revisited Part 2 - Schools must be prioritized: what to do?

Analysis by Albert Geokgeuzian, Staff Writer and Maria Wehbe, Staff Writer

January 30th, 2021

We need to change how we view education: here is where we should start

As mentioned in the previous article of this series, the problems residing in Lebanese public schools are massive and extensive. Their solutions won’t be easy to implement nor will they be quick or fast. Problems of this scale require grand solutions, solutions that tackle the heart of the issue. The current system put in place is inherently faulty and it’s time to change the system entirely and systematically.

The issue here is that public schools are present, but do not reach the level at which private schools are found. In order to make these schools the prevailing ones, funding is necessary in order to properly fix the damaged infrastructure, providing these institutions with the necessary materials in order to achieve high-quality education. That includes, but is not limited to, common textbooks for one: students shouldn’t have to struggle when going to a new school because the textbooks and curriculum are so different, and this is quite common in Lebanon.

According to the RACE II Fact Sheet available through the Ministry of Education and Higher Education website, out of the total 1252 schools that were checked, 332 (26.5%) were in bad condition and a further 459 (36.66%) were in acceptable condition as of September 2019. This is a sign that the government needs to work on the physical campus and building conditions of these schools to further improve the quality of education. 

It would be disincentive of us not to highlight the good work that has been put forth through the RACE II program. Over the previous 3 years, Grade 12 official exams have been increased from 376 to 806 between 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, and from 806 to 1070 from 2017-2018 to 2018-2019. 

That being said, the official exams are a double edged sword, as Dr. Fadia Hoteit, a professor at the Lebanese University, put it: “I think the exams are necessary not in order to measure the level of achievement of students, but rather in order to force schools to give civic education prescribed by the state. There is a fear that students will not be given a common national culture and the idea that they will be examined on the basis of it forces them to learn it.”

As well, according to a study conducted by Notre-Dame de Louaize University (NDU), it is said that the official exams are a means by which private schools can be “controlled”, since the exams follow the national curricula, and so in this way, the students attending public schools would sort of have an advantage to those attending private schools. Also, these exams are a prerequisite for admissions into government jobs, and this is something that the public schools are doing quite well in compared to the private schools. 

That’s where public schools are imperative. If handled properly, they have the potential to improve Lebanon as a whole. The first step towards that must be improving the working conditions of those upon which the entire system relies on, the teachers.

The MEHE (Ministry of Education and Higher Education) must change the requirements when it comes to a Teaching Diploma (TD), because as it stands, a student can decide to commit to a teaching diploma and get into the workforce without a lot of difficulty: this makes the workforce oversaturated, lowers the salaries, and it would make it seem like anyone can teach, which is not true. 

Making it further challenging for people to get a teaching diploma isn’t meant to discourage people from getting into teaching, but on the contrary: those who want to teach and are the best at teaching will pursue it and therefore have a better impact on the next generation of students that come up. The MEHE could create a custom program under their control as well as an extensive system where those who graduate are primed and ready to get into the workforce and improve the system, one classroom at a time. 

It would be remiss not to mention one of the best education systems in the world, that of Finland and to learn a couple of things from it. Actually, using the term “education system” is incorrect. Instead, what Finland has is a teaching and learning system; a system of elements that, when well designed and connected, reliably support all students in their learning. These elements ensure that students routinely encounter well-prepared teachers who are working in concert around a thoughtful, high-quality curriculum, supported by appropriate materials and assessments—and that these elements of the system help students, teachers, leaders, and the system as a whole continue to learn and improve.

One huge difference between our two systems are the teachers. Teachers in Finland are not only amazing and some of the best paid individuals but they are also Finland’s most admired professionals, and primary school teaching is its most sought after career. Only 1 out of 10 applicants are admitted into Finnish education programs after an astounding process.Within their system, teachers have complete autonomy over their classrooms, lesson plans, and hours outside of teaching. They are able to achieve this autonomy because of how difficult and exceptional one has to be to be admitted into an education program. 

Public schools must be at the forefront of these changes: they are necessary in order to make sure that all individuals in Lebanon are able to get good quality education. Gradually, Lebanon must shift towards a system where standardized testing is a rare aspect of the education system. Having a grade as your feedback is detrimental and this video perfectly showcases how much test scores can impact learning, and how negative feedback loops in education actually decrease the attempts one makes when trying to learn as opposed to a system where there are no negative feedback loops.

Looking at Finland, again, we can see a major difference in this area as well; in Finland, they give feedback to students in narrative form, they emphasize descriptions of students learning progress and areas for growth. Instead of using summative assessment and a negative feedback system that relies on test scores and punishments which do not give the desired outcomes, they use positive feedback systems.

Also, Richard Feynman, an American theoretical physicist and one of the greatest teachers ever known to mankind, once said: “I think, however, that there isn't any solution to this problem of education other than to realize that the best teaching can be done only when there is a direct individual relationship between a student and a good teacher - a situation in which the student discusses the ideas, thinks about the things, and talks about the things. It's impossible to learn very much by simply sitting in a lecture, or even by simply doing problems that are assigned. But in our modern times we have so many students to teach that we have to try to find some substitute for the ideal.” 

That last sentence does not have to be the case: we can, and must, make the necessary changes that puts Lebanon at the forefront of education; and that must start with giving teachers the autonomy that they require to ensure this. It is important to note that Lebanon’s teachers have the potential to do what teachers in Finland are able to do. The reason why Finland’s teachers are so great is due to the fact that Finland gives teachers the freedom necessary to customize a curriculum, class hours, after teaching time etc. and this is the only way to make sure that students are getting the best education. The only way to have an education system that helps every student is to allow teachers, the ones that actually know their students, to set the plan, instead of a group of strangers that are trying to find the best plan for everyone.

Lebanon is facing a series of crises in many different sectors. The changes to the educational sector would not put a halt to all other problems, but it is a first step that Lebanon must take in order to start resolving its’ issues, one at a time. This is a perfect opportunity for Lebanon, an opportunity that could help make a major change in society and this country does have the potential to be a leader in education not only in the MENA, but all over the world.