The Failure of the Educational System to Build Social Unity

Has the Educational System in Lebanon Contributed to the Growing Sectarian Divisions?
Hoda Baytiyeh 

Source: http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy.usek.edu.lb/doi/pdf/10.1177/0013124516645163

For many Lebanese educators, education is simply a matter of attaining knowledge through memorization or indoctrination. Such a view opposes the idea of education as a construction process (Dewey, 1923). Educational pro- cesses must take into consideration the way students think about and behave toward others with regard to race, politics, and religion. To develop respon- sible citizens, educational institutions must cultivate the practice of civility, for it is unlikely to be learned in family and religious settings, which tend to foster segregation among children with different socioreligious backgrounds and beliefs (Kymlicka, 1996). Many families, for example, are often patriar- chal (Okin, 1992), many places of worship teach intolerance of other faiths, and various ethnic groups teach prejudice against other races. Each of these issues suggests that schools in the country should teach children critical rea- soning skills to facilitate public rationality and tolerance.

In the late 1920s, the majority of schools in Lebanon were private and religious, whereas only 5% to 10% of students were in public schools (Frayha, 2009). The Lebanese governments have struggled and failed to control the educational system because of the unwavering political and religious opposi- tion. Moreover, Article 8 of the Lebanese constitution of 1926 recognized freedom of education and therefore strengthened sectarian establishment. Communities were granted the right to organize their own schools. The for- mer Lebanese governments were actually unable to enforce a specific cur- riculum on private schools and to contend with their domination on society. Numerous measures were taken to increase the role of the Ministry of Education following the independence in 1943, such as to centralize the edu- cational system, to control the private schools, and to create a more secular education, but, until today, there is a common belief that education policies continue to reflect sectarian divisions (Frayha, 2004).

The high number of students enrolled in private schools leaves Lebanese public schools with only 37% of the cumulative student enrollment in the country (Nahas, 2011). For those who attend public schools, the curriculum is largely secular and gives special priority to the construction of national iden- tity. However, due to the lack of religious diversity among student bodies and teachers, the majority of Lebanese public schools have failed to create an envi- ronment that fosters tolerance and open-mindedness toward students of differ- ent religious backgrounds. Thus, public schools currently do little to promote social unity and to reduce sectarian divisions within Lebanese society. Alternatively, the bulk of private schools in the country is overwhelmingly administered by religious communities and operates highly independent of government oversight (Shuyab, 2007).

Conscientious citizenship involves one’s willingness to hold authorities responsible for the betterment of people in the society. Hence, schools should emphasize critical thinking in relation to the abusive powers of authorities. Private religious schools in the country typically rely on teachings that pre- serve uncritical acceptance of tradition and authority (Macedo, 1990). Religious organizations often seek to establish private schools in the fear that children will be more likely to question traditional practices and be skeptical of religious and political authorities if they attend schools whose programs encourage free thinking. Private schools generally reinforce the sectarian views of the organizations behind them, whereas education in Lebanese public schools is more influenced by the demography in which a school is located. For instance, public schools located in Muslim towns are administered mainly by Muslim principals and teachers and attended mostly by Muslim students, whereas public schools in Christian areas mainly include Christian students and promote Christian views. Despite the fact that these public schools com- monly encourage national patriotism along with religious inspiration, such segregation in public education prevents the social interaction between stu- dents required to overcome narrow views, radical thinking, fear of accepting others, and blind obedience to religious and political authorities in the country. Socialization of students of different socioreligious backgrounds has con- firmed to promote mutual respect and may facilitate acceptance of each oth- ers. In fact, it is often believed that schools segregated by socioreligious groups may impede social unity (Heyneman, 2003). If the aim of education is to advance the social unity and development of a nation, then it should empha- size the creation of critical-thinking and responsible citizens who promote a culture of tolerance and peace, rather than passive subjects who are easily manipulated by the rhetoric of religious and political leaders.

In addition, the strong influence of religious authorities on educational reform has been a major challenge to promote social unity. For instance, pre- vious attempts to legalize civil marriage have been strongly opposed by reli- gious leaders, and they have persistently blocked educational curriculum reforms (Frayha, 2009). Religious institutions in Lebanon were also success- ful after the civil war to impose religious education in public schools despite the opposition of social secular groups and movements. Frayha (2009) revealed results of a research that has been conducted on 77 textbooks used for religious teachings in private Lebanese schools. The findings showed that these textbooks used discriminatory language based between “us and them,” “our faith and their faith,” “Christian and Muslim.” In addition, emphasis on teaching religious dogma and indoctrination was prevalent in the textbook materials. These results explicitly indicate that the promotion of religious teachings in the private schools has not been used as a tool to build social unity among the Lebanese students.

Social unity is fundamental for a pluralistic society to maintain stability and economic growth, yet Lebanon has never been able to establish such unity due to the failure of both its political and educational system in this regard. The lack of shared political principles and united sense of nationalism in the country has led to fragmented sectarian communities. The teaching of political principles such as justice, open-mindedness, tolerance, and respect is thus necessary for national unity. A shared vision of political principles will be necessary to maintain social unity and to reduce political conflicts in the country (Kymlicka, 1996). Social unity requires a sense of shared identity to maintain relationships of trust and solidarity, as well as to encourage the acceptance of democratic decisions (Miller, 1995).

Because Lebanon is a country of religious and political diversities, a shared identity among Lebanese communities must be based on respect for religious faiths, acceptance of democratic processes, unification against potential exter- nal threats, and common agreement with regard to history. In 2010, new teach- ing legislation was passed that aimed to improve the teaching abilities of educators over the following 5 years (Mattar, 2012). Yet no matter how quali- fied the teacher, the lack of a shared historical perspective among communi- ties in the country will continue to impede Lebanese nationalism and facilitate ethno-religious segregation. Unfortunately, educational reform remains mar- ginal, as influential religious leaders continue to perpetuate the current system (Van Ommering, 2011). To the present day, Lebanese officials are unable to agree on a common history book to be used in schools throughout the country, as each community teaches its own version of the national history. It is thus extremely important for the government of Lebanon to facilitate the develop- ment of a shared national history book to promote social unity.