This Month’s Topic: – In this month’s newsletter the EdInvest Country Snapshot focuses on the education system in Lebanon.
Background
Lebanon gained independence in 1941 and five years later the government replaced the French curriculum and made Arabic instruction mandatory. The government did leave students free to choose a second language or more. Today, most private schools operate in either French or English.
While significant progress has been made towards achieving one hundred percent enrollment of children, adult illiteracy remains a concern. Currently, male literacy stands at ninety-three percent and female literacy at eighty-two percent. Illiteracy is also a concern in the military, according to Leila Fayad, head of the Cultural Center for Research and Development in Beirut. Among males aged eighteen to twenty-five in the military there is an illiteracy rate of five to six percent (The Daily Star, November 29, 2004).
Lebanon has a long history of private education provision. The first universities (The American University of Beirut and St. Joseph University) were established in the 1800s and the only public university was not built until 1953 . By 2001, Lebanon had some twenty-one universities and forty colleges, offering programs in all fields, including sciences, arts, agriculture, teaching and medicine. At the primary and secondary level,
Lebanese students may attend private, public or mid-private schools. Mid-private schools, which are mainly parochial, are those that operate as private schools yet charge fees like public schools.
Primary school in Lebanon begins at age six and lasts for five years. It is followed by intermediate school which lasts four years, at the end of which student takes an official exam to receive the ‘Intermediate Certificate’. Secondary school is an additional three years, at the end of which student can choose a vocational or academic stream.
Following secondary school, students have the option of attending university, college, institutes or technical institutions. There are six official vocational programs. The majority of the schools offer the BT (Baccalaureate Technique) or TS (Technicien Superieur) program. These programs train lower and middle management staff for employment in manufacturing. The LTE (License Technique d’Enseignment) is the most advanced degree and qualifies the holder to teach.
Access
Lebanon has made significant achievement toward meeting the United Nations Millennium goal of having one hundred percent of eligible children enrolled in primary school by 2015. Currently, enrollment stands at ninety-eight percent. The percentage of students completing primary education increased from 91.1 percent in 1997 to 95.3 percent in 2000.
Regarding gender disparity, Lebanon compares favorably against other North Africa and Middle East countries as well as globally. Between 1997 and 2000, the primary level, the female gross enrollment ratio was ninety-seven, compared to eighty-six for the region and ninety-six globally. At the secondary level, the female gross enrollment ratio was seventy-nine, compared to sixty-two for the region and fifty-nine globally. During the same period, the male gross primary enrollment ratio was one hundred and one and seventy-two at the secondary level (UNICEF, 2004). At the tertiary level, the female gross enrollment ratio for 2000-2001 was one hundred and nine (UNDP, 2003). Current government policy is to eliminate gender disparity at all levels by 2015.
Enrollment in vocational training has shown an increase of an average of 8.87 percent per year on average, between the 1974-5 and the 1993-4 academic years. Gross tertiary school enrollment was forty percent in 1999, climbing to forty-five percent in 2001 (Earthlinks, 2003).
Quality
While expenditure on primary education has increased, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report released in 2003 notes that quality remains a concern. Only sixty-five percent of children in grade four and sixty-six percent of those in grade eight have the “basic set of skills accredited at the national level”. In addition, the report found a low correlation between the quality of education and the high teacher/student ratio, estimated at 1:9, compared to a global ratio of 1:15-20. It recommends completion of a national action plan detailing the measures that must be taken to ensure a quality education at the primary level and called for rationalization of expenditures and resource allocation.
At the tertiary level, Lebanon has twenty-one universities, seven of which are considered excellent. Universities offer training in all fields, including sciences, arts, agriculture, teaching and medicine. The American University of Beirut is regarded as Lebanon's top university.
Private Sector Provision
The private sector is the principal provider of education, absorbing sixty-one percent of the total student body in 2001, an increase of eleven percent from 1997. There were 2,671 schools nearly equally distributed between public and private institutions in 2001. In the same year, student enrollment in private universities was 50,000, compared to 75,000 at the Lebanese University, the only public university. Established in 1953, it now has forty-seven branches nationwide. Inthe 2000academic year, the country counted three hundred and thirty-four private and forty public vocational institutions.
Financing
Both public and private sector schooling charge fees. Registration fees for public schools are approximately $35US and tuition cost for students in kindergarten and elementary is approximately $20US and $25 at the secondary school level. The Ministry of Education provides public schools with textbooks for negligible prices and often for free. Mid-private schools, which are mainly parochial, also charge fees in line at the same level as public schools. The rest of the tuition fee is subsidized by the government. Fees for private schools vary considerablywith the average cost being about $1,800US.
The cost of higher education also varies, determined by such criteria as the quality, whether the institution is public or private as well as the status of the faculty. Some universities such as the Beirut Arab University and the St. Joseph University are supported by charitable and regional organizations.
Government expenditure on primary education has recently increased as a percentage of total government expenditure on education from fifty-six percent in 1993 to sixty-five percent in 1998. In 2001, public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 2.9 percent, and 11.1 percent of the total government expenditure was on education.
Regulation and Administration
All schools must follow the curriculum set by the Ministry of Education. Private schools have the option of offering additional subjects, provided they obtain authorization from the Ministry. Private schools must obtain a license from the Ministry’s Department of Private Schools. Following a successful review of an application, a safety inspection of the school is carried out after which the Department submits a final proposal to the Minister.
The regulations governing private universities were formalized in 1961, at which time eleven universities were granted licenses. A subsequent decree in 1996 was issued to tighten the existing regulations and rules and to rein in any unregulated institutions. Regulations include maintaining the required ratio of academic and administrative staff to students and the provision of documented proof of ownership of the land on which the university is to be built. A university campus cannot be located in the same building as a residential or commercial interest. Universities must have at last three faculties. Private universities may offer courses in the instruction system and language of their choice, except for Law studies, where instruction in Arabic is required. Only companies can establish universities and foreign corporations must be recognized as an institute of higher learning in their country of origin. The license application is submitted to the Ministry of Higher Education and Culture.
Following the 1990 occupation of Beirut, Syria has tried, with some success, to exert influence over Lebanon’s education system. Its attempt to have Lebanon adhere to the charter of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and the Sciences which requires the use of the same textbook by all Arab states for some subjects was abandoned when private education administrators protested. It also failed in its attempt to make Arabic the only language of instruction at all levels. However, in 2000, the Education Ministers of Lebanon and Syria signed an agreement stipulating close cooperation on curricula, teacher and student exchange programs and joint teacher-training projects. As well, the Syrian Ministry of Education has the power to review and reject locally published textbooks.
Articles of Interest
The Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education is considering an incentive package for foreign universities to lure them to set up branch campuses in Malaysia. The incentives will include tax exemption for equipment, low premium for land required for the foreign university's campus, and electricity and water tariffs. Foreign investors have bypast Malaysia recently in favor of neighboring countries such as Thailand and Singapore See the October 31, 2004 article by Hariati Azizan online at:http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/10/31/education/9222281&sec=education
In Slovakia, the Accreditation Committee is currently evaluating six projects to establish private universities, indicating high demand for tertiary education. Opinions differ as to whether an influx of private capital will lead to variations in quality. See the entire story online: http://www.slovakspectator.sk/clanok.asp?cl=17782
The American university Carnegie Mellon is backing the first private university in Australia, which will offer both American and Australian post-graduate degrees in areas such as computer science, information technology, public administration, management, business, trade and commerce. The university is planned to open in 2006 and will be geared at attracting up to 3000 students from China, India, South-East Asia and the Middle East as well as Australian students. See the article online at: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=10424
In a recent article by Alison Wolf of King’s College the professor discusses what motivates professors to deliver quality lectures and on the other side, whether students paying fees to attend private universities are more motivated than those attending public ones. See the article online on the Education Forum page:http://www.educationforum.org.nz/
A November 19, 2004 article in The Australian reviews the findings of a recent report that recommends that the government reduce the barriers facing private universities such as the expectations that universities encompass a broad range of disciplines and a significant research component. The report suggests the creation of a new breed of specialist higher education providers that focus on a narrow range of study that might be called university colleges or university institutes. See the entire story at:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/sectionindex1/0,5745,aushighered%255E%255ETEXT,00.html
An article in The Prague Post describes the limited reform of tertiary education in Prague since universities were granted autonomy in the early 1990s. While universities have been “private legal entities” since 1998, there are severe restrictions on their being able to use their extensive property rights to generate income. Also, tuition fees have not been introduced, so neither have student loans or allowances. This means that the universities have remained underfunded, prompting protests from staff and students. See the story online:
http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2004/Art/1118/opin4.php
A recent article in the Daily News comments on the increase of continuing education for college graduates in America. According to a study by George Psacharopoulos and Harry Anthony Patrinos, the average rate of students returning for another year of schooling is at 10 percent. See the entire article online at: http://www.wahpetondailynews.com/articles/2004/11/26/news/news03.txt
Publications
UNESCO launched its 2005 Education for All Global Monitoring Report this month. It found that while more children are going to school than ever before, many drop out before grade 5 of primary school or graduate without mastering even a minimum set of cognitive skills. See the entire report online:
http://ww.unesco.org
A new World Bank report How Does Somalia’s Private Sector Cope Without Government? reveals that seventy-one percent of primary schools are privately owned. Enrollment, however is only seventeen percent. It suggests that a network of private schools would be the best way to increase that number. Write to ssmith7@worldbank.org for a copy of the report or see the link below.
http://rru.worldbank.org/PapersLinks/Open.aspx?id=3762
The Sloan Foundation has completed its second annual study of the state of online education in the United States. The study was based on responses from over 1,100 colleges and universities and examines issues such as growth in enrollment, student satisfaction. See the report online at:http://www.sloan-c.org/resources/survey.asp
Events
The Middle East e-learning forum and exchange will be held in Berlin on December 1, 2004 during Online Educa Berlin. The event is comprised of two parts: the forum, which will provide an overview of the e-learning market in the Middle East and the Middle East e-learning exchange, which will provide a forum for organisations involved in e-learning in the Middle East to meet with potential international partners, buyers and resellers. For further details see the website:
www.online-educa.com
The 2004 Education Industry Finance and Investment Summit will take place in Washington, DC from December 6-8, 2004. Some conference highlights include topics such as Growth Strategies: Partnering, Conversions, M&A, Spin-outs and Roll-ups, Accreditation and the Department of Education and an optional post-conference seminar on the international market.
For further details see the conference website:
www.northstarconferences.com
Suzanne Roddis (send comments to edinvest@ifc.org )
