Back to school... a Lebanese nightmare that exhausts parents
With the start of the school year this September, families in Lebanon are experiencing a new chapter of their daily struggles, as the economic crisis intersects with educational requirements, making "back to school" a struggle for survival in every sense of the word. In the working-class neighborhoods of Beirut, as well as in the deprived villages of the outskirts, the scene is not much different: exhausted faces, empty pockets, and school notebooks have become an unaffordable luxury. "My ex-husband left in search of a livelihood and a better life, and what we earn isn't even enough for books, stationery, and transportation," says Zainab, a divorced mother of six who transferred them from a private school to two public schools.
These numbers illustrate the tragedy:
70% of Lebanese families are no longer able to fully cover the costs of school education, according to recent UNICEF reports.
Private school tuition has increased by an average of 25% to 40% this year alone, with institutions insisting on collecting a large portion in fresh dollars.
The price of basic stationery (notebooks, pens, and a backpack) has jumped from $20 before the crisis to more than $150 today, equivalent to half of a minimum wage employee's salary.
The cost of school transportation alone ranges between $25 and $65 per month per student in Beirut and its suburbs, and is sometimes more expensive in villages where distances are longer.
Overcrowded public schools... and lost hope
However, fleeing to public schools is no longer an effective solution for students and their families. These schools host more than 400,000 Lebanese students, along with hundreds of thousands of Syrian students, leading to overcrowded classrooms, with some rooms housing up to 50 students. Public institutions lack sufficient funding for maintenance, electricity, and basic educational materials.
Zainab adds, "We transferred our children from private schools to public schools, where the classrooms are overcrowded with large numbers of students, lack air conditioning and heating, and teachers' salaries are still subject to debate and strikes."
More seriously, the crisis threatens not only the present, but also the future. International organizations have warned that a third of Lebanon's children are at risk of dropping out of school due to financial burdens. This means an entire generation is at risk of being deprived of their right to education, with all the long-term social and economic repercussions this entails.
Amid these dire figures, the most poignant human scenes remain: a child carrying an old, torn backpack, a mother negotiating with a bookstore owner to pay for notebooks in installments, and a father working two jobs to cover part of the tuition. These are small stories that encapsulate a great tragedy, transforming the "back to school" season from an occasion of joy into a harsh test of dignity and resilience.