SW News: The ongoing economic crisis has taken a heavy toll on Lebanon's prestigious Church-run schools. Out of the 330 Catholic schools in the country catering to the education of 200,000 students, 80 per cent of these educational institutions face the risk of closure, says Melkite priest Fr Youssef Nasr, the secretary-general of Catholic schools in the country.

Out of 330 Catholic schools, 90 schools serve the disadvantaged and they used to be given a 50 per cent subsidy by the government. But since 2016, it has not been able to pay them. In-School learning has been disrupted for two years because of the pandemic crisis.

Along with the crisis in the educational sector, the Lebanese currency value has also dropped by more than 90 per cent, thereby wiping out the middle-class sector. Almost 78 per cent of the people of Lebanon now live under the poverty line. Many parents have seen their salaries dwindle and have not been able to make school fee payments for two years.

In Lebanon, Catholic schools are known for their high level of academics. They are typically trilingual, with students learning Arabic, French, and English. Graduates from these schools quite often continue their higher studies in the West. Schools in this country have a long-standing tradition of educating all pupils from all religions. Almost 26 per cent of the students attending these schools are Muslims. They teach and treat all their students with equal respect and never discriminate on the basis of religion.

Catholic officials have sought help from the newly formed Lebanese government to tide over the crisis. In July, Caritas Lebanon and French Catholic organization L'Oeuvre d'Orient launched a fundraising initiative for all Catholic schools in the country.