The head of the Association of Contracted Teachers in Public Basic Education, Nisreen Shaheen, announced that the State Shura Council issued a decision to stop implementing the decision of the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Rima Karami, regarding restricting professors’ freedom of expression and communication with the media and social networking sites except after obtaining prior permission.
Shaheen said, in a statement, that the ministerial decision constituted a clear violation of the Lebanese Constitution and the principles of public freedoms, considering that the Lebanese judiciary “triumphed again” after putting an end to a decision that affected freedom of expression.
She explained that the complaint was submitted in partnership between her and lawyer Jad Tohme before the State Shura Council, challenging the decision, after repeated appeals to withdraw it and alert to its danger to public freedoms, especially for professors who have the right to express their opinions and defend their cases and demands.
Shaheen stressed that the judicial decision does not represent a personal victory, but rather a victory for every teacher whose voice the decision tried to silence, and for every contractor professor who moved in the street to demand their rights. She also considered it a victory for every father, mother, student, and citizen who felt injustice in this difficult stage.
She thanked the State Shura Council and the Lebanese judiciary, considering that it has proven once again that it is “the last bastion of rights and freedoms,” and that the state of law and institutions are still capable of protecting citizens from any transgression or abuse.
Shaheen stressed that the fall of the decision constitutes a reminder that the authority of the law is superior to any other authority, and that voices cannot be silenced by an administrative decision, stressing the continuation of the democratic and legal struggle in defense of the rights and dignity of professors.
This development comes in light of ongoing tension between contract teachers and the Ministry of Education, against the backdrop of demands related to financial and social rights and working conditions, in addition to mounting objections to any administrative procedures that are seen as limiting the ability of teachers to express their demands or make their voice heard through the media and public platforms.
