The education crisis in Lebanon cannot be explained as a result of isolated shocks, but rather as a manifestation of deep institutional and structural gaps that have limited the ability of the educational sector to withstand the accumulated crises. The economic collapse that began in late 2019 did not produce the education crisis itself, as much as it exposed the limits of educational administration, fragmented planning, and weak accountability tools within institutions, which reduced the sector’s ability to provide regular and sustainable responses, especially for low-income students and students Refugees and people with disabilities.
Since 2020, crises have accumulated at an accelerated pace: school closures during the Corona pandemic and periods of distance learning, frequent strikes in the formal sector, and then the recent Israeli aggression that led to the displacement of tens of thousands, the disruption of hundreds of schools and the conversion of many of them into shelters. These developments did not come as separate stations, but overlapped to produce cumulative educational losses and widening gaps, which affected the quality and continuity of learning, and the ability of families, teachers, and students to survive in an environment where stability is declining and institutional support.
In contrast, educational policies during these years have been characterized by an intermittent and incomplete remedial nature, more of a temporary reaction than a vision of reform that restructures the sector. This approach has touched on key issues, from refugee education and teachers’ salaries to programs to compensate for learning losses, especially in public schools, whose interventions have remained hostage to immediate external funding rather than planned and ongoing state policies. This year’s decision by the Ministry of Education reflects the reduction of teaching days in public schools to four While it eases the financial burden in the short term, it threatens to widen learning gaps at a time when the system needs more educational time to offset losses, not reduce it.
Thus, as 2026 begins, the education crisis does not appear to be an emergency event, but rather an ongoing structural trajectory that is reshaping education in Lebanon, and raising urgent questions about the future of educational justice and equal opportunities between students and sectors.
As part of this long journey, the Centre for Lebanese Studies has carried out a series of online surveys since 2021, involving parents, students, and teachers in various Lebanese governorates. In 2025, three surveys were conducted, the first of which targeted 511 twelfth-grade students with the aim of assessing their readiness for the official exams of 2024-2025 after years of interruption and lack of educational stability. The second survey included 1,089 parents to measure the financial pressures facing families, the level of income and their ability to cover the increasing fees in private schools, in addition to tracking the educational outcomes of their children and monitoring the cases of transfers between the public and private sectors and their causes. The third survey targeted 828 teachers in public and private schools to assess working conditions, particularly salaries and the gap between them and the cost of living, as well as the professional and psychological pressures that accompany them.
The questions in these surveys were asked in a way that allows comparison across years to monitor sequential changes, providing a basic basis for understanding how the crises accumulated since 2020 are reshaping Lebanon’s educational structure.
Learning Loss and Dropout from Education
The successive crises since 2020 have marked a severe turning point in the course of education in Lebanon, as they have led to widespread interruptions in face-to-face education, the most prominent of which was the closures of the Corona pandemic, protracted strikes in the official sector, and then the disruption of schools due to the Israeli aggression and the subsequent waves of widespread displacement. In this context, our estimates show that between the academic years 2019 to 2020 and 2024 to 2025, public school students lost a total 445 days of regular face-to-face instruction, which is approximately half of the educational time assumed by the 1997 curriculum.
The severity of the situation is most pronounced in the southern border villages, where the interruption period for face-to-face education has increased to around 630 days, after a large number of students have been unable to attend their schools since October 2023 due to displacement and destruction of infrastructure. This long and frequent interruption has contributed to widening educational gaps, particularly among the most vulnerable groups such as refugees and students in areas directly affected by the aggression.
According to our estimates based on a simulation conducted by the World Bank, the rate of educational poverty among public school students increased by about 30 percentage points during these years. Educational poverty is defined as the percentage of children as young as 10 who are out of school or unable to read and understand simple text. In border areas that have experienced longer periods of interruption, the rise is likely to have reached 40 Percentage points, deepening educational disparities between regions and increasing the vulnerability of the most affected groups.
It is worth noting that learning loss was evident even before the aggression, as the results of a study we conducted before the escalation of the aggression on a sample of 272 tenth-grade students in five Lebanese governorates show that there are deep gaps in basic competencies, as the success rates did not exceed 3% in mathematics, 8% in Arabic, and 13% in English. These results show the extent of the educational losses that have accumulated in recent years, and the consequent serious decline in students’ readiness To continue their learning and the proper transition between educational stages.
The results of these studies are also reflected in the results of our recent survey, where the 2025 online survey of 12th grade students shows a sharp decline in the levels of readiness for official exams. Only 10% of private school students and 6% of public school students reported that they were ready to take the official exams, a clear decrease compared to previous years’ percentages.
When examining the factors behind this decline, it is clear that psychological status plays a major role, with 76% of students citing psychological stress as the most prominent reason for their poor readiness. This is followed by the effects of aggression at 45%, non-completion of the curriculum at 41%, and the accumulation of educational losses over the past years by 40%.
Economic Burdens and Challenges of Families
In addition to educational losses and frequent interruptions from education, Lebanese families have faced significant financial pressures in recent years that have made the cost of education a burden beyond their means. The 2025 Parents‘ Survey showed that the average annual income of families reached about $12,216, while the annual cost of educating one child in private schools, and transportation costs, together was recorded at about $4,417, equivalent to more than a third of the family’s income, in light of the continued rise of this cost amid the absence of supervision. Despite the relative improvement in household income compared to 2023 In 2024, the annual premium for one child’s education in private schools is still a high percentage of a family’s annual income, and a large proportion of households (about two-thirds) still struggle to pay basic household bills.
The effects of this financial pressure are clearly evident in the patterns of displacement between educational sectors. The results of our recent survey showed that the transition from public schools to private schools was very limited, with only 3% of parents with children in private schools reporting that they transferred their children to a private school in the 2025-2026 school yearThe main reason was the decline in the quality of education in public schools. In contrast, the survey revealed that nearly half of the sample of parents with children in public schools (46%) reported that they transferred their children from private to public schools during the same year, and the main motivation behind this transition was the inability to pay private school fees, according to 90% of them. These patterns clearly indicate that the transfer of students between educational sectors is primarily governed by affordability, not the quality of education, and that the concerns associated with the decline in the quality of education Formal education was not enough to stem the wave of forced transition from private to formal.
The recent Israeli aggression has also directly impacted families’ ability to provide education for their children, with 86% of parents in areas directly affected by the aggression reporting that they have been forced to flee their homes. Although 83% of them later returned, the effects of displacement were clearly reflected on the educational trajectory among children who remain displaced: only 25% of displaced children returned to their original schools, while 9% did not attend school this year. 16% moved to other schools. Three-quarters of parents cited high fees or economic pressures as the main motivation for changing schools, while 21% linked the move to the destruction of their homes, and 16% to security concerns.
The results also showed that 27% of pupils in areas affected by the aggression had experienced school interruptions within the past two years, often for periods ranging from one to three months (65%), and in fewer cases the interruptions extended to an entire semester (4%) or two consecutive years (1%). During these periods, only 18% of parents reported that their children received regular distance education, while 41% received41% did not receive any kind of educational support. The effects of these interruptions were not limited to logistical aspects, but also included clear psychological and social dimensions, with parents in the sample reporting that the aggression had a significant psychological impact on their children. 48% of them observed an increase in feelings of fear or anxiety in their children, 32% reported difficulty concentrating, and 16% reported sleep problems.
Against these challenges, only 25% of parents expressed confidence in their children’s ability to continue their education, while the majority (75%) remained unsure about their children’s future in school. 9% of parents surveyed reported that they had at least one child under the age of 18 who had dropped out of school this year. In previous waves, it appears that most of the children who dropped out are males, as parents indicated that about two-thirds of the dropouts are males.
Teachers’ Conditions and Deteriorating Work Environment
Understanding the trajectory of the educational crisis is not complete without analyzing the situation of teachers, who are the cornerstone of the educational process. The 2025 Teachers’ Survey showed that the average monthly income of a teacher in 2025 was about $700, a relative improvement compared to what was recorded in 2023 (about $159), but it remains well below the levels Before the financial crash, the average wage was about $1,300.
This financial reality is more evident when compared to the cost of living. The average basic household expenditure is about $1,174 per month, which includes the costs of food, transportation, electricity, the internet, and medical supplies. Thus, basic expenses alone account for about 167% of the average monthly income of a teacher, reflecting the imbalance between wages and the cost of living, and showing that current income does not cover the minimum basic needs, not counting the cost of housing, education, or heating.
Aside from the financial aspect, the survey results reveal that the pressures facing teachers go beyond the burden of living to affect the psychological state and professional motivation. For example, 78% of professors reported that their motivation to work has been negatively impacted by the accumulated crises. Similarly, 72% of professors described the impact of crises on their mental health as negative, a direct reflection of the protracted economic and social burdens and the state of occupational instability. In terms of professional performance, 20 reported% of professors that their performance was negatively affected. In terms of the quality of education, teachers indicated that public schools were the most affected by the crises, with 40% reporting that the impact was negative compared to only 25% in private schools.
Only one in three teachers expressed a desire to continue working in the education sector, while 12% said they did not want to stay in the education sector, and 56% stated that they continue to work in the sector due to the lack of other job alternatives. These findings reflect a serious threat to the sustainability of Lebanon’s education sector and to the ability of the education system to retain its teaching staff in light of this deteriorating reality.
Structural and Institutional Reasons
This approach based on crisis management rather than preventing or preparing for it has led to a widening gap between private and public education, as public schools have not been able to build an educational environment capable of maintaining the stability of the teaching staff, completing the curriculum, or making up for the real loss of education, which has made the quality elements of private education gradually excel and exceed the formal by degrees. By 2025, private education, which is expensive, is no longer an option available only to financially capable families, which has brought it closer to a social screening mechanism that restricts the quality of education to the economic ability and the affluent class, while the crisis in public schools has turned into a chronic structural weakness that accumulates year after year as a result of the continuation and absence of legislation that guarantees the rights of teachers and sets standards for quality and institutional evaluation.
In conclusion, in light of the results of our studies over the past six years, it is imperative that education policymakers in Lebanon make decisive decisions. Regulating private school fees in line with family income, and maintaining free and quality formal education are priorities that cannot be postponed, and improving teachers’ salaries in order to rebalance wages and the demands of life remains a prerequisite for safeguarding the continuity of education. Equally important is the adoption of policies to compensate for educational losses through plans An educational recovery based on diagnosing gaps according to normative and qualitative assessments, and providing programmes to compensate for educational losses for the most marginalized. Support must also be provided to families affected by aggression to ensure that their children continue to be educated. In the absence of these measures, financial, social and psychological pressures will continue to undermine children’s right to a stable and equitable education.
References
Chahine, N., Hammoud, M., & Shuayb, M. (2024). The Impact of the Multiple Crises on Learning Loss
Among Tenth-Grade Students in Lebanese Public Schools. Centre for Lebanese Studies. https://lebanesestudies.com/publications/the-impact-of-the-multiple-crises-on-learning-loss-among-tenth-grade-students-in-lebanese-public-schools/
Common Ground Fund. (2023). Lebanon’s education crisis: A call for action. CG Fund. https://cg-fund.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CGFL_Lebanons-Education-Crisis-1.pdf%0D
Hammoud, M. and Brun, C. (2025). Education and crises: The cost of delayed recovery in Lebanon. ERICC Working Paper. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29438447
Hammoud, M. (2025a). Educational disruption and exam preparedness: The state of Lebanon’s Grade 12 students in 2025. Centre for Lebanese Studies. https://lebanesestudies.com/publications/educational-disruption-and-exam-preparedness-the-state-of-lebanons-grade-12-students-in-2025/
Hammoud, M. (2025b). Families on Edge: The Struggle to Keep Children in School in Lebanon. Centre for Lebanese Studies. https://lebanesestudies.com/publications/families-on-edge-the-struggle-to-keep-children-in-school-in-lebanon/
Hammoud, M. (2025c). Teaching Through Crisis: How Lebanon’s Compounding Crises Are Reshaping the Teaching Profession. Centre for Lebanese Studies. https://lebanesestudies.com/publications/teaching-through-crisis-how-lebanons-compounding-crises-are-reshaping-the-teaching-profession/
*The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal or the Lebanese Studies Center, but represent only the opinion of its author.
