October 6, 2026
The academic repercussions of the decision to cancel the official secondary school certificate in Lebanon continue for the current academic year, due to war conditions, which were replaced by school success certificates. At the forefront of these repercussions is the crisis of recognition by Arab and European universities of these testimonies, which is a problem that the Lebanese Ministry of Education recognizes and is working to find solutions for.
In this context, a crisis arose for Lebanese students wishing to pursue their education in Egypt, as they faced obstacles in accepting their testimonies at some Egyptian universities. Following the students’ reviews, the Lebanese embassy in Cairo moved, and the Lebanese ambassador made extensive contacts with the Supreme Council of Egyptian Universities and the Central Administration for International Student Affairs to explain the exceptional circumstances that forced the cancellation of official exams.
According to Ministry of Education sources, the Egyptian authorities showed great understanding of the situation of the students who were threatened with losing their academic year despite their move to Egypt and their families incurring heavy financial burdens for housing and registration. These communications resulted in an official process that allowed the acceptance of registration for Lebanese students holding certificates, enabling them to enroll in their universities and complete their academic procedures.
On the other hand, Ministry of Education sources confirm that the certificates crisis is not limited to Egypt, but rather extends to several Arab and European countries that find it difficult to deal with certificates of success, given the Lebanese system’s habit of issuing official certificates that include detailed grades. The sources explained that admission requirements vary from one country to another, and even between different universities and academic circles, in addition to the presence of universities – inside and outside Lebanon – that impose special conditions for admission that are not exclusively related to the general laws of the state, but rather to its internal regulations.
