Cabinet Approves Spending for Boosting Teachers Wages, Aiding Syrian Refugees

The cabinet on Thursday approved expenditure aimed at increasing the salaries of public school teachers and meeting the needs of Syrian refugees.

“Among the most prominent decisions was the approval of a draft decree on allocating L.L. 200 billion for boosting the ranks of the teachers' salary scale by four ranks,” Information Minister Walid al-Daouq told reporters after a cabinet session at the Grand Serail.

“The cabinet approved granting a treasury loan to the Higher Relief Commission to meet the basic needs of the Syrian refugees,” Daouq added.

The cabinet also approved issuing a stamp commemorating the late dean of Lebanese journalists Ghassan Tueni.

“The government extends its hand to everyone in order to salvage things,” Daouq quoted Prime Minister Najib Miqati as saying during the session.

“The government is committed to the Constitution and keen on the freedom of expression, but it believes that any act that exceeds the limit of freedom of expression would jeopardize security and stability,” Daouq added, also quoting Miqati.

“The government, which has committed itself to studying all the demands with openness, believes that the circumstances require everyone to be responsive to the efforts and to stop raising demands that everyone knows need time for implementation and unavailable financial resources,” the minister quoted the premier as saying.

Meanwhile LBCI television said “a heated debate erupted in cabinet over the deportation of 14 Syrians by the General Security without the knowledge of the political authorities.”

The General Directorate of General Security has announced that “the deported Syrians were wanted for common law not political offences.”

Al-Jadeed television said Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour “voiced his dismay that no one of the ministers concerned was informed of the issue of deporting the Syrian activists.”

However, “the interior minister interrupted him and told him he was aware of all steps taken by the security agencies,” al-Jadeed added.

The TV network said Miqati told the ministers during the session that he was informed by General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim that the deportation of the Syrians happened in line with the applicable laws.

The Syndicate Coordination Committee announced on Thursday the resumption of the official exams correction for grades 12 and 9 after a series of negotiations with the cabinet.

The SCC said that teachers are expected to start issuing the results starting Saturday.

The SCC’s suspension of the exams correction had left around 100,000 students in disarray including those who are awaiting the results to decide on their university major.

The SCC, a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees, recently staged a nation-wide protest and decided to boycott the correction of official exams over the government’s failure to include the new salaries scale in the state budget.

The cabinet had argued that any new increase on wages would affect the state’s treasury.