Lebanese Vocational Education Teachers Reject Participation in Official Exams Over Administrative Failures

The administrative board of the Official Vocational and Technical Education Teachers Association in Lebanon stated that after closely monitoring the developments concerning the official examinations for the technical excellence and technical license levels, along with the accompanying contradictory decisions, reversals of previous rulings, and unprecedented administrative confusion, the situation has deteriorated.

In a statement, the board declared that the issue has escalated beyond mere poor educational management to become a disregard for the futures of thousands of students and teachers, undermining the principle of academic year stability and the official examination authority. This national responsibility has turned into a field of improvisation and experiments amid the absence of any clear educational vision and a lack of minimum planning and coordination, which has caused anxiety, confusion, and uncertainty among students, their families, and teachers. The board emphasized that those managing such a significant national file do not have the right to change and amend decisions based on pressures and circumstances, as the students’ futures are not a testing ground and cannot remain subject to such administrative chaos.

The board also highlighted that Lebanon’s ongoing security conditions remain a genuine concern for the safety of teachers and students amid continued tension and instability. Additionally, the severe economic and social conditions burden Lebanese families, making any ill-considered decision an additional hardship rather than a source of reassurance. The board rejected the continued treatment of vocational and technical education teachers as mere executors of decisions without respect for their role or consultation with their union representatives. It asserted that teachers are primary partners in the success of the educational process and should not be held accountable for administrative failures and repeated confusion while decision-makers avoid accountability.

Emphasizing that the dignity of teachers is not a minor matter and their rights are not negotiable, the board stated that official examinations cannot be built on pressure and coercion but must be based on trust, respect, and genuine partnership. Accordingly, and based on their union and national responsibilities, the administrative board of the Official Vocational and Technical Education Teachers Association in Lebanon announced its refusal to participate in all official examination activities for the technical excellence and technical license levels, including preparation, supervision, correction, and result issuance. This refusal will remain until the Ministry of Education and Higher Education fully assumes its responsibilities, ends the policy of confusion and hasty decisions, and provides the educational, security, and administrative conditions that ensure the proper conduct of this national duty.

The board held the Ministry of Education and Higher Education fully responsible for any delays, confusion, or consequences resulting from this course of action, affirming that the responsibility does not lie with the teachers who have always defended public education but with those who managed this file recklessly and caused the educational community to lose confidence in the stability of educational decisions. The board called on all fellow teachers to unite behind the association’s decision and maintain a unified union stance, as unity is the fundamental guarantee to defend teachers’ dignity, protect their rights, and preserve the status of official vocational and technical education in Lebanon.

The statement concluded by affirming that teachers’ patience is not limitless, their dignity is not subject to bargaining, and those who underestimate their rights bear sole responsibility for the current educational situation.