Lebanon cuts school week to four days, introduces three-day weekend

Dubai: Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education has approved a new teaching schedule that will reduce the school week to four days, Education Minister Rima Karami announced Tuesday. 

The measure will take effect with the upcoming academic year in the country’s public schools.

Karami, speaking at an administrative meeting with senior education officials, said the decision was made “to stand alongside teachers and school principals in ensuring a successful academic year.”

 She emphasized that the ministry is committed to supporting educators while adapting the system to current challenges.

The meeting, attended by Director General of Education Fadi Yarak and other senior administrators, reviewed preparations for the school year, including the length of class periods, the structure of the daily timetable, and adjustments for schools that operate in double shifts. 

Officials also discussed curriculum updates in coordination with the Educational Center for Research and Development, as well as the potential for merging classes and clarifying the roles of school staff, from principals to librarians and laboratory supervisors.

Karami noted that the reform would be guided by “centralized standards and decentralized implementation through regional education offices,” with official directives to be issued in the coming weeks.

The ministry later clarified that the four-day schedule applies exclusively to public schools. 

Private institutions, said Youssef Nasr, general coordinator of the Union of Private Educational Institutions, retain the autonomy to adopt or reject the system according to their own circumstances.