This first issue of the journal stems from a fundamental conviction that the debate surrounding education in Lebanon can no longer be confined to closed academic circles or narrow technical discussions. Education is not a matter for experts alone, but rather an issue that affects the entire society, impacting the form of the state, social relations, and the opportunities for individuals and groups in life, dignity, and the future.
While the Israeli war machine continues to kill civilians, destroy homes and infrastructure, and occupy parts of Lebanese territory, the effects of the war are not limited to human and material losses. They extend to the very foundations of coexistence, social trust, and the potential for state-building itself. Wars are not measured solely by the number of victims and the extent of destruction, but also by their ability to reshape social relations and demographic structures, deepen inequalities, and redefine who has the right to protection, resources, prosperity, and greater opportunities for a better future. This largely depends on… On how the state manages the challenges in the context of war.
In the midst of this scene, the issue of education stands out as one of the most urgent and dangerous issues for the country’s future and present, not only because the war has disrupted the right of hundreds of thousands of children and youth to education, but because the way to deal with education during crises reveals the nature of the political and moral choices that govern society and the state. The challenge today does not lie only in ensuring the continuity of education or protecting the school year from collapse (regardless of our definition of the criteria for a successful or collapsed school year), but rather in how to achieve this without turning education into an additional tool for reproducing inequality and division.
