Rima Karami defended on Monday 9 November 2026 the reorganization of Lebanese schools and public high schools contested by teachers. The Minister of Education invokes budgetary rules and a better distribution of staff. The strike of the public high schools continues, while the Secondary League contests the existence of negotiations announced by the Minister.
At a press conference in Beirut, Rima Karami explained the reasons for decision 1513. The text organizes the distribution of supervisors and school divisions. She presented this measure as a condition for the financing and operation of the public sector, while saying that she wanted to maintain dialogue with teachers’ representatives.
The Minister did not announce any withdrawal of the text or timetable for the resumption of courses. She indicated that a representative was negotiating with persons mandated by the League during his press conference. According to a Lebanese media specialized in education, it denied on Monday the existence of ongoing negotiations and confirmed the continuation of the strike. The two parties therefore do not give the same version of the state of trade.
Public high school strike: Karami defends the legal framework
The Minister attaches decision 1513 to section 56 of the 2026 budget. According to his explanation, this provision now prohibits contractual recruitment outside the regular framework involving the Public Service Council. She states that her department must apply this constraint for the current school year.
Rima Karami also announced the preparation of a draft decree concerning teachers previously paid from the school funds. It also targets auxiliary staff working in morning classes. The objective is to bring these contracts into the regular framework. At this stage, it is a project, without any announcement of final adoption.
It also cites Public Service Council Opinion 2319, based on Law 630. According to the Minister, this notice requires a review of actual needs before contracts are validated. It thus links the allocation of positions to the department’s capacity to incur expenses funded.
One supervisor for 125 students, with exceptions
The number of supervisors concentrates part of the disagreement. Rima Karami defends a ratio of 125 students per supervisor, common to middle and high school. She pointed out that some high schools also attended the third cycle of basic education, corresponding to the years before secondary school.
The department had already introduced this rule in its October 30 release. It compared it to the ratio of 150 students provided for in the rules of procedure. The League, for its part, invokes the decision of 29 August 2026, which held 100 students per supervisor. This difference in reference explains why a measure presented as easing by the ministry is challenged by teachers.
On Monday, Rima Karami put forward new figures to justify her intervention. According to her, public high schools currently have one supervisor for an average of 56 students. It estimates that 76% of schools do not meet the 100-student benchmark. These data are those presented by the Minister, without publication at this conference of a detailed table by institution.
She gave the example of a high school with about 90 students for eight supervisors. His argument concerns differences between institutions and the need to allocate limited resources. However, these figures alone do not determine how many staff would change duties or how many hours would be reassigned.
Southern and occupied areas treated separately
The Minister insists on the derogations provided for to adapt the rules to local conditions. The configuration of buildings, class sizes and the influx of pupils can justify additional supervision. Inclusive schools, those involved in specific projects and isolated schools may also request exceptions.
Rima Karami said on Monday that the decision does not apply to schools and high schools in the occupied areas. It also announces a special examination of applications from the South and Nabatiyah. Population displacement can lead to an increase in enrolment in some institutions and a decrease in others.
She says she wants to guarantee a place for every student. For the department, the application of national ratios must therefore be accompanied by a review of concrete situations. Local authorizations remain critical for determining the impact of the reorganization on teams and classes.
Minister invokes funding constraints
Rima Karami said that she waited for registration to assess classroom and teacher needs. She explained that late registrations delayed this work. It is now defending an organization that can show families and donors that the public sector uses its resources consistently.
The Minister assured that the text resumed approximately 90% of the points discussed with the League at a two-hour meeting. This assessment remains his own. The representatives of the secondary school still contest the consequences of the measures on the services of teachers and on the organisation of high schools.
She also referred to the work done with the Centre for Educational Research and Development to amend the rules of procedure. This project must accompany the new programmes. It remains separate from the contested decision, presented on Monday as a mechanism for organising the current school year.
A rally announced Tuesday in front of the ministry
In its communiqué of 8 November, the Public Secondary League renewed the movement. She called for a rally in front of the Ministry of Education on Tuesday, November 10, at 10.30 a.m., Beirut time. She also asked the directors of high schools not to respond to the contested ministerial measures.
The League welcomes the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Committee on Education on 4 November. The Commission requested to defer Decision 1513 and to preserve the contracts pending consideration of the file. This parliamentary intervention does not, however, invalidate the ministerial decision.
The dispute therefore remains open after Rima Karami’s explanations. The ministry defends its rules and derogations, while the League maintains the mobilization. The union meeting announced on Tuesday morning must be held in front of the ministry, in the absence of a confirmed resumption agreement.
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