President Bassam Badran held a joint press conference with the Minister of Education & Higher Education, Abbas Al Halabi, in which they discussed the affairs and conditions of the university in the current circumstances, in the presence of a number of deans and directors of faculties and institutes, teachers, staff and students.

During the conference, which was held on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the founding of the university, Minister Al Halabi called on the three presidents not to allow the collapse of the university, neither its professors, nor its employees, nor its students.

Acknowledging that the recently approved $104 billion to increase the state's contribution to the university's budget is only a drop in the ocean of its needs, Al Halabi called on faculty and staff to reconsider their strike because donors who are expected to allocate $35 million to the university will not pay employees who do not go to work.

The minister added, "I have not and will not accept the collapse of the Lebanese University under my tenure, and it is not appropriate for any official, regardless of his title and increased responsibilities, for the Lebanese University to collapse under his period”.

Al-Halabi concluded, "We have before us a golden opportunity to increase the university's budget to enable it to resist and preserve its professors and students. Conscience and history will not have mercy on us, if we refrain from making the fateful decision at the right time”.

As for President Badran, he declared the following: "71 years have passed since the establishment of the Lebanese University which continues to advance thanks to the will of its members.

71 years of struggles on the part of its faculty and students that have enabled the university to play a leadership role at all levels.

71 years later, the number of graduates of the Lebanese University amounts to more than 350,000, most of whom hold the highest positions at the local, Arab and international levels. Therefore, is it reasonable for the university to give up all these efforts?

Since I took office as President few months ago, I have worked to strengthen the academic work process within the university and to address the problems it suffers, according to priorities.

A total shutdown of the university, a faculty strike, a strike of "reconciliation contract" employees and staff, and a suspended academic year due to a series of chronic but justified demands. I was hoping to use the 71st anniversary of the university to launch my plan for the advancement and development of this prestigious institution at the local and regional levels.

We were able to restart the university process on the basis of promises of salary correction and equity for faculty and staff of all categories.

However, what happened before the university went on general strike was that we received many positive promises, and we took responsibility for resuming the academic year, but none of these promises were fulfilled when they are vital and necessary for the continuation of work in any university.

All the forces and authorities concerned with the university file have publicly announced their support for its just demands, and some of them have even gone so far as to claim its academic, financial and legal rights with the highest caps.

However, nothing was obtained on the decision of the Council of Ministers. On the contrary, the university rights, demands and records were neglected.

Is it reasonable that political and non-political forces interfere with it in the implementation of its claims? Unfortunately, this does not happen in universities all over the world, but it is a painful reality at the Lebanese University!

This is the reality we have been living since the beginning of the current academic year. In spite of these challenges, we have obtained the first rank for the professional reputation of our students in Lebanon according to the "QS World Ranking", and we have gained 100 points in the general ranking of the world universities.

There has always been a misconception among the Lebanese public opinion that the Lebanese University has the habit of conducting annual strikes in order to achieve financial gains!

Indeed, the numbers refute this belief. The request to increase the university budget, to dismiss its professors, to approve the contracts of its employees with "conciliation contracts" and to appoint the deans, contributes to the stability of the university and is in the interest of its students who chose it for two main reasons: the locally and internationally competitive scientific level and the low cost of education.

We were able to secure minimal welfare support to last through the end of the academic year. The university has benefited from some of the resources collected from PCR testing to meet some of the financial needs of faculty, staff, and "reconciliation contract" employees, but those resources are nearly exhausted.

We have demanded a minimum budget that allows us to operate the faculties and institutes of the university. At the same time, we are trying, in cooperation with the Minister of Education and Higher Education, to obtain additional funds from donor agencies, and we are communicating with several parties in order to obtain sufficient support for the beginning of the next academic year. But we have not yet been able to move from promises to tangible reality.

All of this is happening, and the university has financial rights that have been outstanding for nearly a year with local and foreign airlines. These fees are estimated to be $50 million USD resulting from PCR testing performed by the university laboratories during the global health pandemic.

Ces fonds sont toujours retenus et nous ne sommes parvenus à aucune solution avec les parties prenantes pour parvenir à un règlement. J’insiste sur le fait que le droit de l’université ne sera pas perdu et je demande aux autorités compétentes d’intervenir et de contribuer à résoudre ce litige.

Obtaining the university rights, in addition to donor support, will allow it to continue and develop its productive resources and institutions for a period of at least two years, pending the realization of the economic and financial development plan proposed by the government.

I am addressing you today to announce that the Lebanese University is the jewel of higher education in Lebanon. It has 5,000 full-time and contract faculty, representing scientific and research expertise from 460 prestigious international universities in Europe, America and around the world. All these experiences interact scientifically and research-wise in the university classrooms and institutes.

This advantage is exclusive to the Lebanese University which, thanks to this diversity, has been able to offer 462 specialized fields of study to the local, Arab, and international labor markets. This diversity is reflected in the employees of various categories who hold various scientific degrees.

In presenting this reality to you, I will tell you frankly that the university has begun to lose some of these skills.

This reality will inevitably lead to the inability to advance in the next academic year. This is what will drive us, if this reality continues, to reconsider the geographic distribution of the university branches and to restructure them.

The university has made it possible for all social groups to get an education without having to leave their primary residence. Only 4% of the students had to look for temporary housing, and the university obtained 2000 beds for its students in the Rafik Hariri University Campus housing in Hadath, which is now in disrepair due to the lack of necessary maintenance and the inability to pay the operating allowances!

This distribution has allowed approximately 26% of students to work while pursuing their studies to support their families given the difficult economic conditions.

The Lebanese University is threatened in its existence, and it cannot face these challenges alone! It is the only university capable of hosting tens of thousands of your children, but today it is abandoned to its fate, as if the State was pushing it to collapse.

Our meeting today is placed under the slogan of the 71st anniversary of the university. So, with the necessary will and defiance, we will continue and move forward.

We are determined to meet the challenges through solidarity among the components of the university. Parents, students, staff, faculty, all believe in their role and function, but we need the support of the state.

On the occasion of the university's 71st anniversary:

We will not abandon our responsibilities. We will continue to provide our skills and our scientific and academic balance. In order to preserve them and to obtain our rights, we will not abandon any of them, and we will protect the university that has given us and the Lebanese so much.

We are in a dire situation. If those concerned do not come forward to ensure the needs of the university from a budget that meets its needs, encompasses its faculty and various employees, and ensures sufficient support for the education of more than 80,000 students, then a generation of the vast majority of Lebanese will give up without knowing and the state will bear the responsibility for this disaster.

I call on local communities, especially municipalities, as well as civil society organizations and support agencies to help and actively participate in supporting students and employees by providing low-cost transportation lines in addition to some operational expenses such as obtaining 70% discounted rates for internet services for all scholars.

We also hope that donors will accelerate their support to the Lebanese University in order to meet the urgent needs.

We also call on the state to strengthen the university budget according to its realistic needs and to rely on the university expertise to prepare its development and reform projects.

We also ask to strengthen the budget of the mutual fund of professors and staff and double the contributions at least 10 times, and to contribute in the collection of university fees from airlines.

Nous souhaitons obtenir les conditions nécessaires à la survie de l’université qui lui permettront d’augmenter ses ressources en renforçant ses secteurs productifs dans tous les centres de santé, de laboratoire et de traitement, et nous avons réalisé des progrès tangibles jusqu’à présent à cet égard, ce qui peut se refléter positivement sur les membres de l’université et la société libanaise.

We also want to use alternative energy, and we have some offers to achieve sufficiency in all university units.

We want to open specialized vocational tracks to develop the professional and technical skills of our employees in the labor market, in exchange for an allowance that corresponds to the economic reality in Lebanon.

Today, the university is closed and threatened if it continues to be abandoned, and its files remain in the circle of attraction of political parties. It is time to take a position of awareness and responsibility that gives the university the right to continue, to preserve its energies and to fulfill its tasks in the service of all Lebanese.

The preservation of the homeland begins at the Lebanese University. If the university disappears, the national structure will crack and its pillars will collapse.

Do not let us down in order to preserve the security of knowledge, social peace and the image of Lebanon.

Finally, I would like to thank all those who have effectively supported the university and carried its files with sincerity and faith.

I would like to thank the media for their constant follow-up of the university issues.

I would like to thank Minister Abbas Al Halabi, who has always stood by us in a responsible and supportive manner.

Let's protect the Lebanese University and preserve the nation!"