The country of Lebanon in the middle east, is a member of the United Nations (UN). The UN Secretary-General has implemented a global initiative on education. Within this initiative there are three priorities that relate to education. These three priorities are: put every child in school, improve the quality of learning, and foster global citizenship.
In regards to the first priority, putting every child in school, Lebanon’s enrollment rate is relatively low which can be traced back to quality education being inaccessible to low-income households. There is a present gap within education in Lebanon between low-income households and high-income households (Soueid). Most of the students in Lebanon are enrolled in private school as opposed to public schools. The gross enrollment rate, which is the number of children enrolled in a level of education regardless of age, divided by the population of the age group that corresponds to the same level, for Lebanon’s primary education (ages 6-11) in 2013 was 113.5%. The gross enrollment rate in Lebanon’s secondary education (ages 12-17) in 2013 was 75% (Lebanon UNESCO). In addition, when looking at the participation in education, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization education page on Lebanon, it is recorded that there was a total of 17, 915 children and 49, 775 adolescents out of school in 2012. As seen in the graphs below, the number of out-of-school children has decreased however the number of out-of-school adolescents has increased. With that being said, it appears that there is improvement and a clear effort in making it a priority to get children in schools and receiving their right to an education; however, now the issue is keeping them in the school system as the students grow older.
This leads into the second priority which is to improve the quality of learning. This is an important priority to investigate in Lebanon because it may be a reason for why students are not staying within the school system. There is a absence and lack of skilled teachers within the Lebanon education system (Farran). This can be a result from the low pay wages. In addition, the chart below displays the distribution of teachers in Lebanon’s primary and secondary education based on their own education level. Consequently, there is a wide range of
In regards to the first priority, putting every child in school, Lebanon’s enrollment rate is relatively low which can be traced back to quality education being inaccessible to low-income households. There is a present gap within education in Lebanon between low-income households and high-income households (Soueid). Most of the students in Lebanon are enrolled in private school as opposed to public schools. The gross enrollment rate, which is the number of children enrolled in a level of education regardless of age, divided by the population of the age group that corresponds to the same level, for Lebanon’s primary education (ages 6-11) in 2013 was 113.5%. The gross enrollment rate in Lebanon’s secondary education (ages 12-17) in 2013 was 75% (Lebanon UNESCO). In addition, when looking at the participation in education, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization education page on Lebanon, it is recorded that there was a total of 17, 915 children and 49, 775 adolescents out of school in 2012. As seen in the graphs below, the number of out-of-school children has decreased however the number of out-of-school adolescents has increased. With that being said, it appears that there is improvement and a clear effort in making it a priority to get children in schools and receiving their right to an education; however, now the issue is keeping them in the school system as the students grow older.
This leads into the second priority which is to improve the quality of learning. This is an important priority to investigate in Lebanon because it may be a reason for why students are not staying within the school system. There is a absence and lack of skilled teachers within the Lebanon education system (Farran). This can be a result from the low pay wages. In addition, the chart below displays the distribution of teachers in Lebanon’s primary and secondary education based on their own education level. Consequently, there is a wide range of
qualifications and criteria required for teaching positions within primary and secondary education in Lebanon which results in a incoherent structure in the education system and curriculum within the schools that does not lead to the best quality of education for the students in Lebanon (Soueid).
Within the Analysis of Lebanon’s Education Sector, it was stated that some guiding strategic approaches to education in Lebanon are: education is a process to build the future, education through national recognition, civic participation, and human partnership develops citizenship, and more (Soueid). All of these approaches present in Lebanon’s education system enhance the UN priority of fostering global citizenship to students. The ideas and guiding principles behind the education system in Lebanon are all present to make it successful, it is now just getting the right staff and people behind them to take this education system to the next level and truly execute these principles that needs to happen.
Sources:
Farran, P. (2014, August 1). Education in Lebanon. Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://www.bemobank.com/sites/default/files/financial_markete_reports/Education in Lebanon report.pdf
Lebanon. (2014). Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.aspx?code=LBN§or=lit
Soueid, M., Ghanem, S., Yamout, N., Nehme, R., & Hariri, Z. (n.d.). Analysis of Lebanon's Education Sector. Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://www.bankmed.com.lb/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=_VZgIkH-7-s=
Within the Analysis of Lebanon’s Education Sector, it was stated that some guiding strategic approaches to education in Lebanon are: education is a process to build the future, education through national recognition, civic participation, and human partnership develops citizenship, and more (Soueid). All of these approaches present in Lebanon’s education system enhance the UN priority of fostering global citizenship to students. The ideas and guiding principles behind the education system in Lebanon are all present to make it successful, it is now just getting the right staff and people behind them to take this education system to the next level and truly execute these principles that needs to happen.
Sources:
Farran, P. (2014, August 1). Education in Lebanon. Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://www.bemobank.com/sites/default/files/financial_markete_reports/Education in Lebanon report.pdf
Lebanon. (2014). Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.aspx?code=LBN§or=lit
Soueid, M., Ghanem, S., Yamout, N., Nehme, R., & Hariri, Z. (n.d.). Analysis of Lebanon's Education Sector. Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://www.bankmed.com.lb/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=_VZgIkH-7-s=
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From Lebanon’s resources, what is being produced are jewelry, furniture, fruits and vegetables, tobacco, textile fibers, paper, consumer goods, base metals, chemical, construction minerals, and more. These goods will be exported and Lebanon’s export partners, as recorded by the CIA fact book in 2014, are Saudi Arabia (10.8%), UAE (9.7%), Syria (8.7%) Iraq (7.6%), South Africa (7%), and Switzerland (4%). In 2014, Lebanon exported $4.092 billion in goods. In the Lebanese economy the manufacturing sector is an important contributor to the economy. Goods for local consumption are what Lebanon’s local manufacturing consists of and these goods are often in the form of clothing, furniture and food manufacturing. Family-based smaller firms are a large portion of Lebanon’s industrial base. With that being said a lot of the local family businesses cater to the people nearby and in the community and they will be the main consumers of the goods. The manufacturing activity is concentrated and does most of its production in the capital, Beirut and in Mount Lebanon where more then half of the manufacturing firms are located and there are larger populations there. In addition, the retail sector is mainly based in Beirut but as a whole the retail sector in Lebanon is not the most developed, for there are not many large commercial centers other than in Beirut. Lebanon does not have a significant mining base due to no commercially exploitable mineral deposits.