“Lebanon Debate”
Since the beginning of last March, thousands of families have entered a spiral of forced displacement imposed by the war, after the bombing destroyed their homes and cut off their path of return, leaving them without actual shelter or a clear horizon for stability. With the expansion of the destruction, return is no longer an option for many, as their areas have become uninhabitable, while schools have turned into shelter centers or occupied sites, which has exacerbated the education crisis and left students facing an unknown fate between displacement and academic deprivation.
In this context, yesterday, Thursday, parents and students from “Hariri Second High School” organized a peaceful solidarity stand in Riad Al-Solh Square, to demand their right to education and the return of studies to normal, in a move that reflects the amount of anger accumulated as a result of the continued closure of the school since the outbreak of the war.
The participants raised slogans affirming that “education is a priority” and that “the dignity of students is not neglected,” demanding that the school be immediately evacuated from any party occupying it and preventing the resumption of teaching, stressing that their children “are not numbers” and that their future cannot remain hostage to the existing reality.
In an interview with “Lebanon Debate,” one of the residents explained that “the movement was not spontaneous, but rather came as a result of accumulations that continued for a period,” pointing out that the students had not entered the school for about two months, that is, since the beginning of the war, due to “occupying it by force,” as he put it, which led to the deprivation of their basic right to education.
He added that the main spark for the movement was launched after a photo spread of students sitting on the road and eating their food outside the school, at a time when activities were being held on its campus, which sparked widespread anger among the people.
One of the residents pointed out that the classrooms were turned into places for holding party and religious activities, and one of the rooms was allocated for private marital use in exchange for a financial allowance, in addition to organizing events for displaced girls, including “Assignment Day,” which increased the tension.
He pointed out that “these incidents left psychological effects on a number of students,” noting that one of the students refused to return to school after her photo spread.
One of the residents confirmed, “The residents received repeated promises to address the issue, but none of them were translated into practice, which prompted them to take to the streets and press for a quick solution.”
He revealed, “A committee of residents met with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam shortly before organizing the protest, where the details of the problem were presented to him, and he in turn promised to work to solve it within a period not exceeding 7 days.”
In parallel, Lebanon Debate information reported that some of the displaced threatened not to evacuate the school before burning it, if pressure was put on them to evict them, which reflects the existing level of tension and the complexity of the crisis.
According to the same information, the movement was also the result of informal coordination between residents via WhatsApp groups, where pictures and data were circulated that contributed to expanding the circle of anger and pushing for field action.
Pending the outcome of the deadline set by the Prime Minister, all eyes remain on the coming days to see whether the official promises will be translated into practical steps, or whether the crisis is likely to escalate further on the street.
