With sun streaming into the rooms and a fresh breeze wafting in from the nearby sea, the small public school of Rmeileh, a 40-minute drive south of Beirut, is filled with children’s chatter.
This week, starting January 10, should be the first back to school after a three-week Christmas break but Rmeileh School is one of less than a handful across Lebanon that opened its doors, hindering hundreds of thousands of children’s education.
Of 185 schools in the Mount Lebanon district, only three are opening this week, Teachers Union branch vice president Manal Hdaife said.
Schools in the whole of Beirut and the south and north of Lebanon remain closed.
The increased spread of coronavirus in the country is the reason for some schools delaying opening for another week, such as those in Bint Jbeil, an hour north of Beirut.
But the main reason is a teachers' strike over inadequate healthcare coverage, lack of pay rises and a transport allowance.
The Association of Public Administration Employees on January 10 declared an open strike, to end only when the government met their three strict demands.
“If we don’t have these three things we will not go back to school,” Ms Hdaife told The National.
The Lebanese lira has now reached 32,000 to the US dollar, a more than 95 per cent depreciation since 2019, sending more than eight in 10 people into poverty.
Rmeileh School principal Nadine Chabab believes opening her school for 717 students, aged between 4 and 14, despite the strike is an act of resistance.
“For some time in Lebanon people think of resistance as a war, but here we have another plan for resistance, which is education … it’s a time for building our country,” Ms Chabab said.
She said her salary was $1,600 two years ago, dramatically reduced now to $80 a month, making it extremely difficult to provide for her household. But she is steadfast in putting the future of her pupils first.
“Opening the schools and letting students come and learn will help make a better future for Lebanon,” said Ms Chabab, 42.
Unicef, the UN's children's agency, says urgent action must be taken by the government to allow the smooth opening of schools.
About 1.2 million children in Lebanon have already experienced two years of disruption due to the coronavirus, and 700,000 are out of school mainly because of rising poverty.
Recognising that teachers are struggling to make ends meet, Unicef Lebanon told The National there could be “dire consequences” for children’s futures.
“Opening schools for in-person learning is essential both to address learning loss over the last two school years and to save the system from collapse,” Unicef Lebanon said.
Before the start of this school year in September 2021, pupils across Lebanon had been required to learn online because of the pandemic.
Rmeileh School’s English teacher Fatima Kiwan says this has harmed children’s learning.
“We have had many problems when they came back to school, they didn’t know how to write letters, the alphabet, numbers. Someone in Grade 3 can’t write their name,” Ms Kiwan said.
After teaching for 27 years her face still shines when she speaks of her pupils.
I was so happy to come back, I wasn’t happy learning online
Mohamed Zoghbi,
9
“All of my students are like my babies,” she said, adding she was disappointed in other teachers striking.
“Why can my kids go to school and build a future for themselves but others can’t? I consider them all my kids.”
Beyond the impact on learning children, not attending school also hinders the development of social skills.
Taking time out from running around with friends during morning break, Mohamed Zoghbi, 9, told The National that he was happiest in the school playground.
“I was so happy to come back, I wasn’t happy learning online,” said Mohamed, a Grade 4 pupil.
Ms Hdaife, also a principal at the Kamal Jounblat Official School in the Chouf area of Lebanon, understands the children’s education is affected by the continuing strike, but feels she has no other choice.
“What can we do? I spend all of my salary on fuel to go to school. So it’s a hard situation,” she said.
The Ministry of Education was unable to comment before publication.
While private schools across Lebanon are not part of the public sector strike, most of them, if not all, delayed reopening schools for another week until January 17.
Some gave coronavirus as the reason while others said tuition fees were no longer covering salaries, according to local media and private teachers to whom The National spoke.
Lebanon's Minister of Public Health, Firass Abiad, said schools must be opened for pupils to have an opportunity at education, especially considering learning online was not successful.
“This year it’s going to be even worse, because we have much higher rates of shortages in electricity and the internet is not working properly,” Dr Abiad said.
As the Omicron variant has sent new Covid-19 cases to about 6,500 a day, Dr Abiad said the World Health Organisation and Unicef helped to provide face masks and sanitisers “to all schools functioning in Lebanon".
“We [also] provided for 80,000 Rapid Antigen Tests, 10,000 PCR tests and guidance on when to test,” he said.
But coronavirus is the least of most teachers' concerns.
“We’re not worried about coronavirus, we’re worried about the economic, social situation and education in Lebanon. This is the most important,” Ms Chebab said.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jebel Ali results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 64,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: One Vision, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Gabr, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
4pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 96,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
4.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Torno Subito, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Untold Secret, Jose Santiago, Salem bin Ghadayer
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
'Ashkal'
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Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
FULL%20RESULTS
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Abu Dhabi race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
6pm: Liwa Oasis (PA) Group 2 | Dh300,000 | 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 (PA) Group 3 | Dh300,000 | 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap | Dh70,000 | 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
