Lebanon: Education Report | Excellence of Lebanese Education

The Eastern Mediterranean state has a long history of academic excellence.

Relations between Lebanon and the U.S. have not always been the best. As a staunch supporter of Lebanon's arch rival Israel, Washington has always been critically regarded. Yet the fact that 440,000 Lebanese expatriates live in America shows that this tense relationship is more of a political issue rather than an issue between the countries' citizens.

Young Arabs have always maintained a high admiration of Americans. Typical American values such as luck, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are all rooted in the 1776 American Declaration of Independence. These qualities are virtues that Lebanese people would sign up for immediately, and many college graduates dream of studying in the U.S.

However, since obtaining a student visa for the U.S. became difficult in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, most Lebanese opt for a higher education in Canada, notably McGill University in French-speaking Montréal.

The popularity of the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Lebanese American University (LAU) prove that both countrymen are brothers in spirit. For many young Lebanese men and women, a diploma from the AUB means an entry-ticket to a well-paid job in the oil-rich Gulf Arab countries.

Lebanon is one of the few Arab countries without an oil income, although huge reserves of gas have been found under the Mediterranean (exploration works have been given the green light by government and parliament but they have not yet been materialized).

A lack of natural resources forces Lebanon to tap into and expand one of the most valuable resources of mankind: knowledge. "If you look at the main competitive advantages in Lebanon, you will notice the level of education, human resources, access to finance and the freedom to deal with the market," said H. E. Michel Nahas, the Lebanese Minister of Economy.

"Before the Arab world opened up, they went to the West; they went to the United States, Europe, Mexico, and they went to Latin America in general, and when the Arab world opened up with the oil discovery and boom, our graduates settled in those countries and they are doing very well there," Dr. Joseph Jabbra, President of LAU, told Marcopolis.

Dr. Jabbra was proud to say that his institution has advanced the country's reputation as a Mecca of learning. "I would like you to know that our School of Pharmacy is still the only school of pharmacy that is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Pharmacy Education (ACPE) in the entire world outside of the United States. Our School of Engineering is now accredited by ABET, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and so is our Computer Science program."

Another star in the country's education sky is the École Supérieure Des Affaires or ESA. Established in 1996 in a joint move of the French and Lebanese governments, the ESA Clemenceau campus in the heart of Beirut is only a ten-minute walk from the AUB. The school is the Middle East's only Grand École (the term refers to higher education platforms which lie outside the French education framework).

"I think one of our major assets is this ability to have an international faculty because it is made out of visiting professors," said Stéphane Attali, President of ESA. "Most of these visiting professors and consultants have been coming to Lebanon and to the region for 16 years- since ESA was created here for a partnership between France and Lebanon."

The Université Saint-Jospeh (USJ) de Beyrouth, which is located in the mostly Christian district of Ashrafieh, also learned from the European way of learning. "Since 2003, Université Saint-Joseph has chosen to follow the European program. This means that we are part of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) in which students are given credits according to their results and need a certain number of them to obtain their diploma," said its Rector René Chamussy, who admits the fierce competition for talents in the education sector. "The Lebanese government chose to give more than 40 universities the possibility to deliver higher education diplomas. I'm not here to judge this decision. Still, one must not forget that Université Saint-Joseph is the second university in Lebanon. It was created in 1875, right after the American University of Beirut, in a certain atmosphere of rivalry."

In order to maintain the bond to the real industry, ESA constantly attracts executives from the region to improve their leadership skills in Beirut. "We have a very strong partnership with L'Oreal for the whole Middle East region, which is a very important region for them, ranging from Morocco to Pakistan and stretching to include South Africa," said Attali. He added, "Once a year we have a group of 20–25 managers coming to the ESA campus here in Beirut from all of the countries belonging to this region to be trained in a specific programme that was tailor-made for L'Oreal."

Attali stresses the importance of internationally educated teachers. "Most of these visiting professors and consultants have been coming to Lebanon and to the region for 16 years, since ESA was created here for a partnership between France and Lebanon." ESA has some 180 professors, coming at least three or four times a year in order to develop research and training as well as modules with our students here.

In addition, ESA, which currently has around 500 students, cherishes partnerships with the best European schools of management such as ESCP-EAP, HEC in Paris and the Rotterdam School of Management.

ESA, like AUB, is not a campus for the masses. "We want to have small groups, not more than 30 to 35 for an executive MBA for example, because we think that interaction is a major asset for these participants," Attali said.

Attali agreed that the MBA became a bit of an overused brand on global executives' business cards. Does ESA offer a PhD then?

"We do not have a PhD programme. We are developing a DBA, which is a Doctorate in Business Administration. We believe that a PhD is more for those people who opt for an academic career, and the DBA, which is becoming an international standard with the AMBA accreditation, is much more focused on professional issues and this programme."

For LAU's President Dr. Jabbra, education is all about promoting future generations. "I believe firmly in the role of a university in shaping the minds and hearts of young people- it´s very important for me. Young people are really longing for a place that they can identify with. The sense of belonging in this world is at times very difficult to have or acquire and we´re here to provide that sense of belonging in a world that is buffeted by all sorts of pressure."

Picture Credit: AUB, LAU, USJ