Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Tuesday chaired an educational meeting at the Grand Serail to discuss preparations underway for the new scholastic year in Lebanon.
After the meeting, Caretaker Minister of Education, Judge Abbas al-Halabi, said that the meeting had been an occasion to brief the PM on the sufferings of teachers who could no longer afford the minimum requirements for a decent living, let alone transportation, hospitalization, and other livelihood demands.
“The Prime Minister has shown great concern for teachers and public schools; he thanked them for all the efforts they made within the past school year,” Al-Halabi said.
Accordingly, the PM contacted the Ministry of Finance’s General Director to follow up on some issues to expedite the disbursement of financial dues in favor of public schools.
Mikati was also handed a memorandum of demands prepared by teachers’ associations, which he pledged to study with the Minister of Education and donors.
Regarding the ministry’s ability to run educational facilities amid the dire economic crisis, Minister Al-Halabi said that the MoE had succeeded in doing so last year, so it might as well this year.
As for the fact that some private school administrations are forcing parents to pay tuition fees in fresh US dollars, Al-Halabi said, “I have warned on more than one occasion, and I repeat, that the school that asks for tuition fees in US dollars is in violation of Law No. 515, which stipulates tuition payments be made in Lebanese pounds only. A meeting will be held tomorrow to crystallize suggestions in this regard, and to come up with a unified position over everything related to the measures that can be taken against said schools.”
On a different level, the Prime Minister welcomed at the Grand Serail a delegation representing the General Labor Confederation headed by GLC President, Bechara Al-Asmar, who said on emerging: “We’ve raised several issues with the PM, starting with that of USD customs dollar rate, which is completely rejected by the GLC due to its repercussions on the poor, workers, and people with limited income.”
“Today, we are counting on the House of Parliament and its president to draft an integrated customs dollar bill coupled with a plan for economic recovery,” he added.
PM Mikati separately welcomed Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, Candith Kwati Mashego-Dlamini, at the head of an accompanying delegation. Discussions featured high on bilateral relations between South Africa and Lebanon, the signature of a memorandum of understanding to bolster diplomatic cooperation, and other issues.
Source: National News Agency