In a classroom turned shelter for displaced families, teenager Ahmad Melhem follows a recorded lesson on a tablet as the war between Hezbollah and Israel interrupts education for hundreds of thousands of students in Lebanon.
"I don't want to regret not finishing my studies despite the difficult circumstances," said Melhem, whose family was displaced from Beirut's southern suburbs, the site of repeated Israeli bombardment.
"We took a risk and went back to get schoolbooks," he told AFP.
"We're trying with everything we have to continue our education so we can achieve our goals," said the 17-year-old, who hopes to study engineering after finishing high school.
Crisis-hit Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 when militant group Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israel to avenge the US-Israeli killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israel has responded with large-scale strikes on Lebanon and a ground offensive in the country's south, killing more than 1,100 people -- including 122 children -- and displacing more than one million people, according to authorities.
The United Nations children's agency UNICEF says the war has left almost half a million students out of school in Lebanon, after more than 350 public schools were turned into shelters and many in areas under Israeli bombardment were closed.
Melhem's family and others are sharing a classroom divided up by plastic curtains at a school in a central Beirut district, the room scattered with thin mattresses and blankets, a table and small stove serving as a shared kitchen.
- 'Digital divide' -
In the corner, Melhem has set up his books and a computer screen, but there is no internet in the room.
An NGO has provided internet access in the schoolyard, crowded with children playing and families socialising, but Melhem says he cannot concentrate because of the noise, so he watches the recorded classes later.
His private school resumed distance learning two weeks after the war began, after cancelling subjects and shortening lessons.
"In-person (class) is better and more engaging," he said. "I miss group work and the science projects we used to do."
According to a 2023 World Bank report, each day of public school closures costs the Lebanese economy three million dollars.
In the courtyard, Melhem's mother helps her other son, aged eight, to follow his online classes.
"If I leave him alone, his mind wanders and he can't keep up with the lesson," says Salameh, 41.
"The war has destroyed everything," she added.
"Education is the only thing left for my children."
UNICEF's head of education in Lebanon, Atif Rafique, expressed particular concern about the future of students who are preparing to enter university while the war continues.
He warned of the dangers of children dropping out of school, especially "girls and adolescent young women" who face additional risks, including early marriage.
- 'Not even pens' -
In Dekwaneh, north of Beirut, at a vocational institute that is now a shelter, Aya Zahran said she spends her day "preparing food and working to make the place livable".
"We have only one phone that my siblings and I share," said Zahran, 17, who is also displaced from Beirut's southern suburbs.
But "the link the school sent us (for online classes) doesn't work", she said.
Rafique said hundreds of public schools lack the resources for distance learning, and noted a "big digital divide" when it comes to internet access, with teachers also affected.
UNICEF has helped launch an online platform with recorded lessons, and a hotline allowing students to access materials through a phone call, without needing internet access.
He said children in south Lebanon have been disproportionately affected by education interruptions since the last round of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah broke out in October 2023.
Just a week before the latest war began, UNICEF reopened 30 schools in the south that had been damaged in the previous conflict, he said.
At the vocational institute's entrance, an education ministry employee was registering children to assess what educational services they need.
"The situation here is very difficult... there's no internet here, and not even pens," said Nasima Ismail, who has been displaced from the northeast Bekaa region, as she signed up her children.
"My children are top students. I don't want them to miss out on their education, as happened to us when we were kids," said Ismail, recalling Lebanon's devastating 1975-1990 civil war.
"I want them to complete their education, even if we are left with nothing," she said.
"I wish them days better than ours."
Facts Only
Teenager Ahmad Melhem, displaced from Beirut's southern suburbs, follows recorded lessons on a tablet in a classroom turned shelter.
Melhem's family retrieved schoolbooks despite Israeli bombardment in their neighborhood.
The war began on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.
Over 1,100 people, including 122 children, have been killed, and more than one million displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.
Nearly half a million students are out of school due to the closure or repurposing of over 350 public schools as shelters.
Melhem's private school resumed distance learning two weeks after the war started, with shortened lessons and canceled subjects.
UNICEF reports a "big digital divide" in Lebanon, with many schools lacking resources for distance learning.
UNICEF has launched an online platform with recorded lessons and a hotline for students without internet access.
Aya Zahran, 17, displaced from Beirut's southern suburbs, shares one phone with her siblings but cannot access online classes due to technical issues.
Nasima Ismail, displaced from the Bekaa region, registers her children for educational services at a vocational institute, noting the lack of basic supplies like pens.
UNICEF reopened 30 schools in southern Lebanon a week before the latest conflict, which had been damaged in previous hostilities.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The strongest version of this narrative highlights the devastating impact of war on education, framing it as a humanitarian crisis with long-term consequences for Lebanon's youth. The article effectively humanizes the issue through personal stories, such as Ahmad Melhem's determination to continue his studies despite displacement and resource shortages. It also provides context by citing UNICEF's efforts and the broader economic toll of school closures, reinforcing the urgency of the situation.
However, the narrative leans heavily on emotional appeals—focusing on displaced families, children's struggles, and parental fears—which, while compelling, could risk oversimplifying the complex geopolitical dynamics at play. The article does not delve into the broader historical context of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict or the role of international actors, which might shape readers' understanding of why this crisis persists. Additionally, the framing of education as the "only thing left" for children, while poignant, could inadvertently downplay other systemic challenges, such as poverty and infrastructure collapse, that predate the war.
Root cause: The narrative assumes that education is a neutral casualty of war, but it also reflects a deeper paradigm where education is seen as a pathway to stability and upward mobility in a fractured society. This assumption may not account for structural barriers, such as corruption or sectarian divisions, that could undermine even the most resilient educational efforts. Historically, Lebanon's education system has been a battleground for political and religious factions, and the current crisis echoes past disruptions during the civil war (1975-1990), where generations lost access to schooling.
Implications: The immediate cost is borne by students, particularly girls and marginalized groups, who face higher risks of dropping out or early marriage. Long-term, Lebanon's economic recovery could be further stymied by a generation with interrupted education, exacerbating brain drain and reducing future productivity. The digital divide highlighted in the article also underscores how crises disproportionately affect the poor, widening inequality.
Bridge questions: How might the international community address the root causes of Lebanon's recurring educational disruptions, beyond emergency aid? What role do local power structures play in either enabling or obstructing educational continuity during conflicts? Would a focus on vocational training or alternative education models be more resilient in such crises?
Counterstrike scan: A coordinated influence campaign might exploit the emotional weight of children's suffering to push a one-sided narrative about the conflict, omitting Hezbollah's role or Israel's security concerns. However, this article does not match that pattern—it presents the crisis as a humanitarian issue without overtly taking sides, though it could benefit from more nuanced geopolitical context. The focus remains on the tangible impacts of war on education, which aligns with journalistic standards rather than propaganda.
Patterns detected: none