Contracted Professors at Lebanese University Protest for Recognition and Rights

Contracted professors from the Lebanese University organized a sit-in in front of the government headquarters, coinciding with a Cabinet session. Representatives from various faculties and branches of the university participated, carrying banners calling for their official appointment and the removal of injustices against them.

Following the national anthem and the university anthem, Dr. Hamid Hamid read a statement on behalf of the professors, addressing President General Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Judge Nawaf Salam, Minister of Education and Higher Education Reema Karami, and the ministers. He stated: "Greetings, we stand today before your esteemed council, not seeking favors or charity, but demanding a legitimate right repeatedly acknowledged by the concerned authorities, yet remains trapped in promises, procrastination, and delays."

He pointed out that "the issue of official appointment, which we have awaited for many years, has turned into a series of successive promises, while our share has been increased frustration and disappointment." He added: "We, the contracted professors, have spent years in classrooms and scientific research, carrying the university's mission and fulfilling our duty toward our students with dedication and responsibility, while still lacking the most basic elements of job and professional stability. We have given this institution our efforts, expertise, and years, yet we have only reaped oppression and waiting. If the current excuse is financial cost or difficult economic conditions, we ask: how are resources available for appointments in various positions and institutions whose financial cost far exceeds the cost of completing the official appointment process? How does investment in education become a burden while doors open for expenditures that do not match the importance of the national university?"

He continued: "The contracted professor deserves justice and for their file to be presented to the Cabinet without delay. The continuity and academic stability of the Lebanese University are not secondary matters but among the most important national issues affecting the present and future of the country. The official appointment file has been approved in successive batches, so why does the delay in announcing names and completing the required procedures persist? Why do professors remain hostages of waiting while the educational process is affected and students bear the consequences of this hesitation and procrastination?"

He emphasized that "we do not demand exceptional privileges nor seek charity from anyone. Rather, we insist on a right recognized by the competent authorities and demand its implementation according to the principles of justice, fairness, and respect for institutions. Our voice will remain loud, responsible, and civil at the doors of decision-makers until the contracted professors are treated justly and their professional dignity preserved. Nations are built only by their scholars and professors, and the university cannot continue to thrive at the expense of those who carried its mission and sacrificed for it."

He concluded by stressing that "there is no dignity for a country that neglects its professors, nor prosperity for a university based on the suffering of its dedicated members. Let this call be heard by all who hold decision-making power and by those who still believe that justice is the foundation of state-building."