Lebanon cancels end-year high school exams over security concerns

Dubai: Lebanon has cancelled this year's official secondary school examinations, known as the baccalaureate, because of the country's deteriorating security situation, Education Minister Rima Karami said on Thursday.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Karami said all students registered for the national examinations would be exempt and awarded certificates based on continuous assessment throughout the academic year.

Students will qualify for the certificate provided they achieved an average score of at least 9.5 out of 20.

Karami said the official baccalaureate examinations were cancelled "due to the exceptional circumstances and difficult security conditions the country is facing."

The minister said the decision followed assessments by Lebanon's security and military authorities, which concluded they could not guarantee the conditions needed to hold the examinations fairly and safely across all parts of the country.

The announcement triggered celebrations among secondary school students, many of whom had earlier staged protests outside the Cabinet headquarters and Beirut's Riad Al Solh Square, calling for the examinations to be cancelled.

Students took to the streets after the Cabinet approved the measure, while videos circulating on social media showed them dancing, setting off fireworks and celebrating a decision that ended weeks of uncertainty and anxiety for students and their families.