UNESCO commits to rehabilitate damaged schools and support the education sector in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion

The Beirut Port explosion that occurred on August 4, 2020, caused widespread damage and casualties. The education sector was heavily impacted, as the explosion led to the partial or complete destruction of about 70 public schools and 50 private schools in Beirut and neighboring areas. Such devastation threatens to disrupt the new academic year and deprive about 55,000 Lebanese and non-Lebanese students enrolled in these schools of their right to education.

In the aftermath of the explosion, the Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States - Beirut, Dr. Hamed Al Hamami, met with the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Tarek Majzoub, in presence of Director-General Mr Fadi Yarak, to ​​explore the needs of the education sector and discuss UNESCO’s response.

At the request of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, UNESCO will rehabilitate damaged schools in Beirut and affected areas, and will coordinate the school rehabilitation efforts in Lebanon among education partners to avoid duplication and ensure harmony of interventions.

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