Education in Beirut underwent drastic changes after the civil war that ruined the socio-economic structure of Lebanon. UNESCO office in Beirut concentrated on raising the standard of education in the city. Primary and secondary education is provided at the different schools. Universities of Beirut offer higher level educational programs.
As the capital of Lebanon, Beirut had a high literacy rate before the civil war. Education in Beirut is not restricted only to primary or secondary level education. Higher education in Beirut gets as much priority as schooling.
The First Priority: Beirut Education
Primary education is free and compulsory in Beirut. For higher education, students enroll in the university. Beirut has six universities namely:
- American University of Beirut
- Lebanese University
- Beirut Arab University
- Saint Joseph University
- Lebanese American University
- American Haigazian University
The schools and universities of Beirut provide a wide range of academic and extra-curricular facilities. Academic performance gets the
maximum amount of importance. But, alongside that, the educational institutes of Beirut also emphasize on excelling in extra-curricular
activities. Therefore, Beirut education refers to an overall education of the students in order to make them capable and competent
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individuals who can excel in academic field as well as non-academic fields.
Impact of Civil War on Education in Beirut
Education in Beirut suffered a major negative impact during the civil war that took place in Lebanon from 1975 to 1989. Books and playgrounds were replaced by guns and battlefields while the school buildings were turned into refugee camps, shelters for soldiers and those who were displaced from their homes. During the war, literacy rate fell drastically as education in Beirut had taken a back seat. There was a distinguishable change between the pre-war and post-war educational scenario.
The Current Scene: Education in Beirut Today
To provide the educational system of Beirut a new impetus so that it gets back to its previous position, UNESCO has been working on various educational programs in the city. The Regional Office of UNESCO located at Beirut is concentrating not only on the education system of the city but of the whole of Arabia. The objective of UNESCO-Beirut is to work towards improving the quality of education in the city by concentrating on the curriculum and administration of the schools.
The history of education in Beirut and the present picture vary to a great extent. But the efforts of the city and UNESCO have led to improvement in the standard of education. Today, the literacy rate in Beirut has gone up from what it had been after the war.
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