The National Human Rights Commission of Lebanon, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT), views positively the expedited draft law submitted by Members of Parliament Paula Yacoubian and Hassan Mourad, which seeks to cancel the official examinations for the four branches of the Lebanese Baccalaureate and the technical certificates for the year 2026 and to grant alternative certificates to students. This proposal comes in light of the exceptional circumstances facing Lebanon as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression, which has caused significant loss of life, extensive damage to infrastructure, the displacement of thousands of families, and direct disruptions to the educational process in several regions of the country.
While reaffirming that the protection and promotion of human rights constitute the fundamental framework for any public policy, legislative initiative, or administrative decision, the Commission believes that the debate surrounding the official examinations should not be reduced to its educational or administrative dimensions alone. Rather, it must be approached as an issue directly linked to a range of fundamental rights guaranteed under the Lebanese Constitution and the international treaties to which Lebanon is a party, foremost among them the right to education, the right to life, the right to personal security, children’s rights, the principle of non-discrimination, and the right to equality and equal opportunities.
This position is issued pursuant to the mandate entrusted to the National Human Rights Commission under Law No. 62/2016, which empowers it to monitor the human rights situation in Lebanon, express opinions on draft laws, legislative proposals, public policies, and administrative measures related to human rights, and provide recommendations to the competent authorities to ensure compliance of national legislation and practices with Lebanon’s constitutional and international human rights obligations.
The Commission emphasizes that the right to education is not limited to access to schools or the administration of examinations. It also encompasses the provision of a safe and stable learning environment that enables students to effectively enjoy this right without exposing their lives or physical safety to danger. At the same time, the State remains obligated, under all circumstances, to balance the continuity of education with the protection of students, teachers, and educational personnel.
From this perspective, the Commission considers that any decision regarding the holding or cancellation of official examinations must be based on an objective and transparent assessment of the security, educational, and humanitarian situation. The safety of students and their best interests must remain the primary and overriding consideration in the decision-making process.
In this context, the Commission would have preferred that this matter be addressed without resorting to an expedited legislative proposal, particularly since the proposal itself indicates that similar measures could be adopted through decrees issued by the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Education and Higher Education, as was previously done in exceptional circumstances, including the cancellation of the official intermediate certificate examinations.
The Commission further believes that this issue should be resolved with the necessary speed and effectiveness in order to end the state of uncertainty and anxiety experienced by students and their families and to provide the stability required for the educational process. It also stresses that educational, human rights, and humanitarian considerations, particularly the safety of students and educational personnel, should form the basis for determining the most appropriate mechanism for decision-making, free from any considerations that do not serve the best interests of students or the right to education.
