Sat Jan 25 06:55:43 UTC 2025: ## Lebanese Students Struggle to Continue Education After Devastating War

**BEIRUT, Lebanon –** The recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has left a devastating mark on Lebanon, particularly on its students. Thousands of young people, like 19-year-old Fouad Abou Mrad and 23-year-old Sajed Salem, have had their education and lives irrevocably disrupted by the months of intense bombing.

Abou Mrad, a university student from Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburbs, returned to his home to find it destroyed, smelling of “dead bodies.” He and his family had fled during the Israeli bombing campaign in September, and the destruction of his home forced him to search for salvaged school supplies amidst the wreckage. Nearly half of Lebanon’s 1.25 million students were displaced by the conflict, according to the Ministry of Education.

Salem, a culinary arts student from a southern Lebanese village, experienced the horrors firsthand while attending classes in Beirut. He described the relentless bombings as “nights from hell,” recounting a terrifying classroom experience where explosions shook the building. He fled to central Lebanon, unable to contact his family who were trapped in their bombed-out home for a day. Even amidst the chaos, classes continued, and Salem was forced to travel back to Beirut for exams, ultimately failing one due to the stressful circumstances.

The Norwegian Refugee Council’s Lebanon country director, Maureen Philippon, highlighted the significant psychological toll the conflict has taken on students, stating that “constant exposure to violence, displacement and loss” impairs their ability to learn. She described witnessing children in Tyre suffering from acute anxiety even at the sound of planes.

Ahmed Tlili, an associate professor of educational technology, points out that international law inadequately protects education during wartime, despite the prohibition of attacks on schools and universities. He highlights examples of support offered to Palestinian students from Gaza as a model for how the international community should respond to such crises.

While a temporary ceasefire was implemented in November, the lingering effects of the war continue to impact Lebanese students. Abou Mrad expresses frustration at the unfairness of having to contend with terror and displacement while trying to pursue his education. Salem, whose village in southern Lebanon remains affected by violence, expresses uncertainty about the future, particularly with recent developments in neighboring Syria. Both students, along with thousands of others, face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives and their education in the aftermath of war.

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