“Lebanon Debate”
The Council of Ministers has not resolved the issue of vacating contract professors at the Lebanese University, after the file was absent from the agenda of the last session, while the date of the start of the academic year is approaching without deciding the fate of the first batch of professors included in the decision to sabbatical in batches. In light of this delay, the professors are threatening to escalate, leading to a strike and boycotting the start of the academic year, if procrastination continues.
In this context, a member of the follow-up committee for contract professors at the Lebanese University, Dr. Muhammad Shukr, confirmed to “Lebanon Debate” that the professors began preparing for escalatory steps, after it became clear that the sabbatical issue had not been decided before the government entered its vacation.
Shukr explained that the committee is currently conducting a questionnaire about the percentage of participation in the strike, in preparation for making the final decision on the next steps, noting that initial indicators show “good participation” from professors.
He said that the trend is towards announcing the strike in a press conference that will be held next week, during which the results of the questionnaire will be announced and the escalation steps that the committee will adopt in the next stage will be revealed.
Shukr pointed out that the movement will not be limited to a strike, but will also include a sit-in in front of the first cabinet session held after returning from vacation, in a clear message to the government of the need to put the issue on its agenda and resolve it.
1690 professors in four batches
According to the mechanism approved by the Council of Ministers, the full-time file includes about 1,690 contract professors, divided into four batches, with the first three batches including about 400 professors each, while the last batch includes the remaining number.
In this context, Shukr stressed that professors are no longer willing to accept continued postponement, especially after the file has been awaited for years, considering that time has become pressing as the start of the academic year approaches.
He stressed that the teachers are waiting for the government to take the required decision, otherwise they will proceed to implement the steps being prepared, most notably the strike and sit-in, leading to not returning to teaching if the file is not approved.
This escalation comes at a time when the principle of vacating professors in four batches was previously approved, while the mechanism for implementing the first batch is still linked to resolving the file within the government and securing the necessary financial allocations.
What about the “node” inside the file?
In response to a question about what is said about the existence of problems related to the sabbatical issue, including the issue of sectarian representation, Shukr confirmed that these issues have not yet been resolved, denying the existence of new data on which to build in this direction.
He stressed that the priority for professors is to complete the process of the file and approve full-time work, considering that the continued delay puts the Lebanese University and professors in front of a difficult entitlement as the academic year approaches.
