Lebanon has the dubious distinction of producing highly-qualified university graduates who emigrate in search of greater employment opportunities, while students from underprivileged areas drop out of school early, many illiterate or with barely adequate reading skills. Teach for Lebanon is an initiative that hopes to redress this educational imbalance while also attempting to keep the country’s top graduates at home.

The program aims to eliminate educational inequality, empowering young people and fostering a culture of youth participation in civil society by using recent university graduates as teachers in disadvantaged, regional primary schools.
 
The program hopes to “to activate a culture of civil engagement” among young people, says the program’s Communications Manager Raissa Batakji, by giving them an opportunity to support the disadvantaged.

Unequal education 

Lebanon’s education problem is principally one of unequal access to quality schooling and widely-varying literacy levels. These factors are compounded by high rates of student dropouts and by an absence of quality state-funded education facilities in some regions.

The enrolment rate for school-aged children in primary schools is higher than 95%, according to the Rene Mouawad Foundation, suggesting broad access to basic education. But the number of people with only primary education is double that of those who have graduated from university, telling of widespread education inequality.

In 2004, 29% of people aged 10 and above had only completed primary school, while only 15% had graduated from university, according to a 2008 study released by the United Nations Development Program. The country’s illiteracy rate stands at 8.7%.

Between 2006 and 2008, 22,000 students dropped out of school, greatly impacting their personal, as well as the national, education standards. They left for reasons as diverse as lacking a desire to continue, being forced to work, or the high costs of education, according to the Consultation and Research Institute.

At the same time, Lebanon is facing a “brain drain” among university graduates who are looking for higher salaries and greater security in the Gulf, Europe and America.

The numbers of would-be emigrants are staggering. Almost 60% of 600 university students involved in a 2007 Lebanese Emigration Research Center survey said that they were interested in leaving the country after completing their studies.

In an MADMA survey, nearly 50% of participants acknowledged they had considered emigrating in the three years prior to July 2007, with nearly 40% of participants having taken serious steps to try and leave.

Teach for Lebanon hopes to counter the nation’s brain drain by creating job opportunities for university graduates in a program that seeks to utilize their skills to narrow these educational divides.

How it works

The program looks to recruit top university graduates from different academic backgrounds to become full-time teachers or fellows, according Batakji, Teach for Lebanon’s communications manager.

A background in education is not necessary for the program, as those selected will undertake a six-week intensive summer teacher training program.

The fellows will then go through a two-year teaching placement period in selected underprivileged schools in rural areas across Lebanon. They are expected to integrate fully into the local community and fully support the academic development of their students.

Launched in August 2008, Teach for Lebanon is currently looking for 50 graduates to take part in its inaugural program, which will commence at the beginning of the academic year this September.

The program is looking to double or triple its intake of fellows in the coming years, according to Batakji, so that it is possible “to see the difference, to see that there have been some steps taken to eliminate educational inequality.”

The initial group of fellows will be placed in 12 or 13 schools, with approximately four teachers in each who will teach early primary education classes that include math, sciences and languages. While their salaries will be paid by Teach for Lebanon, fellows are expected to abide by school teaching procedures and provide extra support after hours for children with special needs.

While a list of participating schools has yet to be finalized, the program is looking to support schools located in remote areas, where the quality of education is not equivalent to that available in cities or at private institutions, and where tuition is free or nearly free. They are likely to be located in disadvantaged regions such as northern Akkar, the Bekaa Valley or Hasbaya.

Follow-up support

Upon completion of their two-year placement period, fellows will be supported by Teach for Lebanon as they return to academic studies, search for internships or enter the workforce. With the international workforce shaken by the onset of the global financial crisis, these perks offer alluring benefits for participants, in addition to the training provided by the program.

Beirut’s Lebanese American University, the American University of Beirut and Hagazian University will offer scholarships to some fellows interested in pursuing further studies. Teach for America’s corporate partners have also offered to provide paid internships to participants looking to enter the private workforce.

The program piggy-backs similar international programs designed to raise education standards in underprivileged areas, including Teach for America and the United Kingdom’s Teach First initiative. Fellows also benefit from international connections with alumni groups in countries like the US, Australia, Chile, Latvia and South Africa.

For further information on Teach for Lebanon please click here