For Immediate Release
Press Release
December 3, 2021, Beirut – U.S. Ambassador Dorothy C. Shea and Minister of Education Abbas El Halabi visited a public school in Aley to observe U.S. Government assistance through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since 2019, USAID, through the QITABI 2 project, has been supporting Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), the General Directorate of Education (GDE), and the Center for Educational Research and Development (CRDP) in providing quality educational services and materials to over 170,000 students across all primary public schools, grades 1 to 6.
The visit included a discussion with parents and teachers about the challenges faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising financial crisis, as well as a tour of classrooms to observe the way students and teachers are benefiting from the USAID-funded tools and materials.
In her remarks, Ambassador Shea stated, “Starting in 2006, the U.S. Government, through USAID, has invested more than $280 million dollars to support the Government of Lebanon’s efforts to deliver affordable, quality public primary education. Our support to this school, as well as to all primary public schools in Lebanon, improves student learning by developing effective teaching processes and cultivating a school environment in which students can thrive. We believe education serves as the cornerstone for a healthy, prosperous nation, a belief we share with the Lebanese people.”
During the 2020-21 lockdown, USAID’s QITABI 2 project distributed 174,063 educational boxes, including reading books, interactive educational games, and educational supplies, to engage students (grades 1 to 6) in learning while at home. In the summer of 2021, USAID’s QITABI 2 supported MEHE in launching and implementing the summer catch-up program in 302 public schools, which helped around 36,000 students better prepare academically and emotionally for back-to-learning in 2021-22. Within the same scope, the project also collaborated with MEHE to support equity in education and the successful return to learning in 2021-22 for the primary public school students. For this purpose, the project distributed approximately 2,435 sets of classroom libraries and 6,490 sets of classroom materials to 887 primary public schools. QITABI 2 also supported CRDP in training around 8,000 primary public school teachers, Arabic, English, French, math subjects, and social-emotional learning.
The United States Government, through USAID, has continually supported Lebanon’s educational sector through the provision of quality educational services to all students hailing from various communities and regions, including disadvantaged communities and low-income families. Since 2014, USAID has benefited more than 218,000 students, 922 schools and supported capacity building for around 8,000 teachers through USAID-funded projects QITABI and QITABI 2.