Israel’s war leaves Lebanon’s schools balancing students and the displaced

What the report says

Lebanese schools are preparing to reopen on September 15 even as many buildings continue to serve as shelters for people displaced by Israel’s war, according to Al Jazeera. The report focuses on Froun, a village in southern Lebanon, where a public school is being readied for classes while still housing displaced residents. Its principal, Abbas Makki, said the priority is to resume lessons without abandoning families who have nowhere else to go.

Al Jazeera reported that the wider conflict has left heavy damage across southern Lebanon, with rubble in Froun and basic services such as water and electricity still lacking in parts of the area. The article says a ceasefire framework and subsequent returns allowed some displaced people to go home or seek other accommodation, but renewed Israeli attacks have sent others back into displacement. The story also notes a recent strike in southern Lebanon that killed 12 people, including two children, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

Education officials and aid experts say reopening schools while they remain shelters creates a difficult trade-off. UNESCO’s Maysoun Chehab told Al Jazeera that schools cannot operate normally if they are also housing families, and that safe alternatives are needed before evacuations. Lebanon’s education minister, Rima Karami, has said students should have access to schooling and that displaced people should not be removed from schools without alternative accommodation.

The report adds that more than 340 schools have been damaged and 454 affected by conflict or displacement-related disruption, underscoring the pressure on Lebanon’s education system after years of repeated interruptions.