Education in Lebanon
Encyclopedia
Education System
Primary educationPrimary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
is for children aged 3 to 4. Basic education composes of two levels: elementary level and intermediate level. Elementary level is grade 1 to 3 (cycle 1) and grades 4 to 6 (cycle 2). Intermediate level is grades 7 to 9 (cycle 3). Secondary Education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
is grades 10 to 12 (cycle 4).
Education Management
Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) regulates all education institutes in the public sector through a regional education system. The education system in Lebanon is centralized, and this regulation is not direct. The education system is managed through regional education bureaus. Public schools are monitored by the regional education bureaus in the governorates. The regional education bureau serves as liaisons between the public school and the directorates of education at the ministry’s headquarters. Private schools have their own organization, but private schools are still subject to the authority of the MOEHE.The Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) is an autonomous staff organization under the trusteeship of the MOEHE. CERD’s tasks are 1) to draft curricula of academic and vocational education for the pre-university education stage, 2) to revise and modify the curricula according to the necessity, 3) to prepare all means and ways for applying these curricula, 4) to do educational research, 5) to secure training for pre-university teachers, 6) to prepare the curricula in all subject areas, 7) to provide teacher training, 8) to write textbooks, and 9) to conduct evaluations, etc.
Education Finance
According to the World BankWorld Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
database, public education expenditure as percentage of GDP is 2.7 in 2007 and public education expenditure as percent of government spending is 9.6 in 2007. Public schools are financed by the Ministry of Education and private schools are financed by students’ fees. The processes involved curricula draft and modification, and teacher training are mainly financed by nongovernment funds such as private companies or international bodies which include the World Bank and the UNDP.
Pre-Primary Education
According to the World Bank database, gross enrollment rate of pre-primary education is 67.1 percent for male, 65.6 percent for female, and 66.4 percent for total in 2007. Pre-primary education aims to initiate children into the school environment. The goal of pre-primary education is 1) to create a favorable climate for the children to communicate with others, 2) to develop their physical capacities, limb control and coordination of their movements, and 3) to educate their senses. Pre-primary education also takes into account physiological moral and intellectual development of children.According to the World Bank database, private enrollment share for pre-primary education is 80.3 percent in 2008.
Basic Education
Elementary LevelAccording to the World Bank database, gross enrollment rate of elementary level of basic education is for 96.8 percent for male, 93.9 percent for female, and 95.4 percent for total in 2007. Private enrollment share in elementary level is 67.6 percent in 2007.
Intermediate Level
According to the World Bank database, gross enrollment rate of intermediate level is 83.2 percent for male, 90.7 percent for female, and 86.9 percent for total in 2007. (The World Bank Edstats) Primary completion rate of Lebanon (US$6,000 GNI per capita in 2007) is lower than that of Tunisia, Jordan, Iran, Algeria, West Bank and Egypt (all of which have lower GNI per capita). Primary completion rates have not improved during the period 1995/96 to 2003/04. In 2007, Primary completion rate is 79.8 percent for male, 83.3 percent for female, and 81.5 percent for total. According to UIS database, technical and vocational enrollment as percent of total enrollment in intermediate level is 5.1 percent in 2008. Private enrollment share of general education in intermediate level is 60.2 percent and that of technical and vocational education is 56.8 percent in 2008.Secondary Education
Secondary education is three years education, and composes of general education (humanitiesHumanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, life sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
) and technical education (about 55 different fields of study). School principals decide students’ path based on students’ aptitude as shown by the Brevet examination results. When students complete three years education, they take official Lebanese Baccalaureate exams in their respective tracks (four in all). Students who finish examinations successfully obtain the Lebanese Baccalaureate Certificate of Secondary Education (Shahaadat Al-Bakaalouriya al Lubnaaniya l’il-ta ‘liim al-Thaanawi) or the Technical Baccalaureate (Al-Bakaalouriya al-Finniya)
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have limited access to public secondary education. Most of them are not able to afford the high cost of private secondary education. UNRWA operates three secondary schools in Beirut, Saida and Tyre. School operated by UNRWA partially offset the absence of available educational opportunities at the secondary school level.” (UNRWA website)
According to the World Bank database, gross enrollment rate of secondary education is 69.8 percent for male, 80.2 percent for female, and 74.9 percent for total. According to UIS database, technical and vocational enrollment as percent of total enrollment in secondary level is 27.8 percent in 2008. Private enrollment share of general education in intermediate level is 49.8 percent and that of technical and vocational education is 56.9 percent in 2008.
Lebanon participated in TIMSS in 2003 and 2007. Score of mathematics at 8th grade is 433 in 2003 and 449 in 2007. Score of science at 8th grade is 435 in 2003 and 404 in 2007.
At the end of middle school, each student has to enter the official exams.
Higher education
Higher education in Lebanon composes of TechnicalInstitute of technology
Institute of technology is a designation employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system...
and Vocational Institutes, University college
University college
The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
s, University Institutes and Universities. The Lebanese University
Lebanese University
The Lebanese University is the only public institution for higher learning in Lebanon. Founded in 1951, it has 17 faculties as of 2006 and serves various cultural, religious, and social groups of students and teachers....
is the only public institution. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education administrates the private and public sectors and Technical and Vocational Institutes are under the Directorate General of Technical and Vocational Education Directorate General of Higher Education has responsibility for University Colleges, University Institutes and Universities).
According to the World Bank database, gross enrollment rate of tertiary education is 46.9 percent for male, 56.3 percent for female, and 51.6 percent for total. (The World Bank 2009) Private enrollment share of tertiary education is 53.4 percent.
Female students are seen in every university program or field of specialization.
Following high school, Lebanese students may choose to study at a university, a college, or a vocational training institute. The number of years to complete each program varies.
The lebanese Baccalaureate is accredited worldwide. French Baccalaureate can be presented by students who have other nationality than the lebanese. The French Baccalaureate is also accredited.
While the Lebanese educational system offers a very high quality and international class of education, the local employment market lacks enough opportunities, thus encouraging many of the young educated to travel abroad; Successful Lebanese engineers, doctors, businessmen, etc. are found practically all over the world.
Lebanon has 41 nationally-accredited universities, several of which are internationally recognized.
The American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
(AUB) and the Université Saint-Joseph
Université Saint-Joseph
Saint Joseph University is a private Catholic higher institute of education founded by the Jesuits in 1875 in Beirut, Lebanon, known for its school of medicine and its hospital, Hôtel-Dieu de France. The Lebanese state officially recognizes the university and the diplomas it grants in accord with...
(USJ) were the first Anglophone and the first Francophone universities to open in Lebanon respectively.
The forty-one universities, both public and private, largely operate in French, or English as these are the most widely used foreign languages in Lebanon.
At the English universities, students who have graduated from an American-style high school program enter at the freshman level to earn their baccalaureate equivalence from the Lebanese Ministry of Higher Education. This qualifies them to continue studying at the higher levels. Such students are required to have already taken the SAT I and the SAT II (Subjects Test) upon applying to college, in lieu of the official exams. On the other hand, students who have graduated from a school that follows the Lebanese educational system are directly admitted to the sophomore year. These students are still required to take the SAT I, but not the SAT II.
The highest-ranked and most prestigious universities in Lebanon include the Lebanese University
Lebanese University
The Lebanese University is the only public institution for higher learning in Lebanon. Founded in 1951, it has 17 faculties as of 2006 and serves various cultural, religious, and social groups of students and teachers....
(LU), the American University of Science & Technology (AUST), the Lebanese American University
Lebanese American University
The Lebanese American University is a secular, private and independent American university located in Lebanon...
(LAU), the University of Balamand
University of Balamand
The University of Balamand is a private, secular university located at El-Koura, Lebanon. It was founded by the Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch in 1988...
, the American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
(AUB), Beirut Arab University
Beirut Arab University
Beirut Arab University is a private international accredited university located in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded by the Lebanese El-Bir and Ihsan Society in 1960...
(BAU), the Lebanese International University
Lebanese International University
The Lebanese International University is a private university established by the philanthropist and former Lebanese defense and education minister Abdul Rahim Mourad...
(LIU), Haigazian University
Haigazian University
Haigazian University was founded in 1955 in Beirut, Lebanon. It offers programs leading to Bachelor's degrees in the Arts and Sciences, as well as Master's degrees in the Arts. All degrees from Haigazian are recognized by both the Lebanese government and the Association of International Colleges...
, the Université Saint-Joseph
Université Saint-Joseph
Saint Joseph University is a private Catholic higher institute of education founded by the Jesuits in 1875 in Beirut, Lebanon, known for its school of medicine and its hospital, Hôtel-Dieu de France. The Lebanese state officially recognizes the university and the diplomas it grants in accord with...
(USJ), the American University of Technology
American University of Technology
American University of Technology , is a private university established in Lebanon. It was founded in 1998 by Ghada Hinain near Byblos. The university is directed by an appointed Board of Trustees....
(AUT), and the Notre Dame University - Louaize
Notre Dame University - Louaize
Notre Dame University - Louaize is a non-profit, Catholic, independent university in Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon. Founded in cooperation with Beirut University College in 1978,as the Louaize College for Higher Education...
. In addition, some students choose to study abroad. The United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
assigned Lebanon an Education Index of 0.84 in 2005.
See also
• List of universities in Lebanonhttp://www.ArabianCampus.com
Not all private higher educational institutions in Lebanon consider SAT I or SAT II for undergraduate admissions. The majority require a local entrance test prepared by these individual higher educational institutions. In most times, the entrance test is a placement test. The main requirement for undergraduate admissions for Lebanese students is the secondary-school leaving certificate called the Baccalaureate II or more recently the International Baccalaureate. However, students with a foreign nationality are admitted to private higher education institutions that pattern after the American system of higher education as Freshman students in case they do not have an equivalence to the Baccalaureate II. In case they obtain an equivalence from the Ministry of Education and higher Education, they are admitted as sophomore students. As for the Lebanese University, which is the only public higher educational institution in Lebanon, students are admitted to undergraduate programs based on their Baccalaureate II. A number of Faculties at the Lebanese University, such as the Faculty of Sciences require further testing for selectivity based on entrance tests (concurs)prepared and administered by this faculty.