Al-Rahi Calls on SCC to End Boycott of Official Exams Correction

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi urged on Sunday the Syndicate Coordination Committee to stop taking the future of students hostage.

Al-Rahi called on teachers during Sunday's sermon in his summer seat of Diman to assume their responsibilities and cooperate with Education Minister Elias Bou Saab and kick off the correction of official exams on Tuesday.

“The teachers have legitimate demands but have no right to take students as hostages and ban them from deciding their fate,” the patriarch pointed out.

He considered that the SCC's decision to boycott the correction of exams “unfair,” noting that it will not have a positive or negative impact on the new wage scale.

Bou Saab announced on Friday that he is going forward with issuing passing statements for Grade 12 and Grade 9 school students who have applied for official exams, calling on teachers and the SCC to end their boycott of exams correction.

Bou Saab said that he will call on the committees to start correcting exams on Monday and expressing hope that the SCC would approve to end the correction boycott.

However, the SCC is holding onto its demands, vowing not to correct the exams before the parliament adopts the pay hike for public employees.

The SCC’s suspension of the exams correction had left Grade 12 students in disarray as they are awaiting the results to enroll in university while Grade 9 students, who underwent the Brevet exams, need to pass their tests in order to enter the secondary school.

Parliamentary blocs have continuously expressed their support for the employees' rights, but have warned that Lebanon's ailing economy would suffer if the total funding was not reduced from LL2.8 trillion ($1.9 billion) to LL1.8 trillion ($1.2 billion).

They have also disagreed on how to raise taxes to fund the scale over fears of inflation and its affect on the poor.

Their differences have been exacerbated by the boycott of the March 14 alliance's MPs of the sessions aimed at discussing the draft-law under the excuse that parliament should not legislate in the absence of a president.

Al-Rahi also called on lawmakers and their parliamentary blocs to respect the constitution and elect a new head of state, stressing the the Maronite Patriarchate doesn’t favor any candidate.

“We want the election of a capable president,” al-Rahi added.

al-Rahi continuously expressed belief that the political powers should elect a consensual president who is not affiliated to March 8 or 14 alliances and considered not provocative.

Lebanon has been plunged into a leadership vacuum after Michel Suleiman's presidential term ended on May 25 with rival political blocs still divided over a new leader.