Strike paralyzing National University in Lebanon a month ago
Strike paralyzing National University in Lebanon a month ago
Open and comprehensive strike announced by Association of Professors in Lebanese Universities enters its second month, as a refuse to reducing university’s budget and affecting their salaries, without taking into consideration thousands of students fate.
Strike began in parallel with budget deliberations in Council of Ministers last month, which noted a reduction in University budget of 36 billion LBP amount (about 23.821.740 $), a reduction policy that has been going on for ten years, according to Association of Teachers.
After open and comprehensive strike announced by association of full professors at the university entered its second month, the fate of 80 thousand students’ academic year at the Lebanese University became unknown in a refusal to reduce university budget and affecting teachers’ salaries, pensions and social and health benefits.
Two conditions for teachers demands
The main demands are to eliminate all problematic items in budget that affect university’s work in the core, such as reducing research allocations, operational maintenance, exams and stopping employment for 3 years, which will make the university goes on working by hourly-paid contracted professors.
Teachers continue organizing protests every week, raising their demands voice until finding a resolution and determine the fate of the university’s items in the budget that will be in parliament last box next week.
For his part, Youssef Al-Dahir, Association of full professors president at Lebanese University called on professors during sit-in in the central administration of the University in Beirut to “no retreating of rights and moving forward in protest against authority to the end.”
“Contracted professor is often forced to work in private universities to make his living because he receives his pension every three years in addition to health and social guarantees lack, so how will he do necessary researches to develop the path of academic university and habilitating students as it should be”. Sana Musa, contracted professor at the University said to North Press.
Academic year fate
For his part, Akram Shahib, Minister of Higher Education stressed that professors salaries will not be affected by any reduction, as figures of budget law issued in 2019 which approved by Council of Ministers and was referred to the parliament, is clear to the non-reduction budget of Lebanese University.
He pointed out that Association of Teachers continues its strike, although it hasn’t led to any clear or specific results during past weeks, it insists on continuing its open strike without clear strategy that guarantee tens of thousands of students fate as the school year approaches its end.
In this context, Dr. Ali Rahal, chairman of Council of Delegates told North Press that professors promised the students that “whatever the result is, they will not assume strike consequences because they have already done enough and we are more keen on their interests than ours and they will go back to their classes and do their exams.”
It is mentioned that unlike other public sector employees, full professors aren’t allowed to work outside the university. Judges and first-category employees are allowed to teach in universities 120 hour per year and employees of other categories are allowed to teach 160 hour per year.
NPA – Beirut