The Ministry of Education and Higher Education marks International Day of Persons with Special Needs and the National Day of Inclusion with major progress on Inclusive Education in Public Schools

4 December 2025 – To commemorate the International Day of Persons with Special Needs and Lebanon’s National Day of Inclusion, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), CERD, the European Union, and UNICEF came together today to mark the significant progress made in advancing inclusive education across Lebanon’s public school system, and to call for renewed commitment to ensure that every child, without exception, can learn, participate, and thrive.

Supported by the European Union and UNICEF since its pilot launch in the 2018–2019 school year, MEHE’s Inclusive Education Programme has evolved into one of the country’s most impactful long-term investments in public education. The programme aims to ensure that all children in Lebanon, including children with special needs have equitable access to quality education in supportive and accessible school environments.

Minister of Education and Higher, Dr. Rima Karami said: “Inclusion is not a favor we grant – it is a right that Lebanon will no longer compromise. Increasing the number of inclusive public schools to 180 this year marks a new phase: moving beyond awareness to gradual implementation of real services that ensure every child can learn with dignity. With Vision 2030, we are transforming inclusion from fragmented projects into a unified national system — one that connects health, education, and social support to serve learners where they are. Inclusion is Lebanon’s identity: a school system that refuses to exclude, and a society that protects dignity, so every learner’s strength becomes a source of national progress.”
 

Sandra De Waele, EU Ambassador to Lebanon, said: “The European Union is proud to have been the primary donor supporting the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s Inclusive Education Programme since its inception. What began in 2018 with only a few schools has grown into a national effort reaching many communities across the country, with 180 inclusive education schools.”

“Inclusive Education is a foundational investment in Lebanon’s future; one of the most powerful ways to strengthen learning, dignity, and social cohesion,” said Marcoluigi Corsi, UNICEF Representative in Lebanon. “Together with our partners, particularly the European Union, we remain fully committed to ensuring that every child learns alongside their peers in safe, supportive, and inclusive schools so they can grow up healthy, educated, protected, heard, and able to reach their full potential.”

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education seeks to transform all public and private schools into inclusive schools by 2030 in alignment with its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4. In 2023, the Ministry approved the National Policy on Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs, Lebanon’s first national legal framework dedicated to inclusive education.

Inclusive Education cannot be achieved through the individual efforts of schools, principals, or teachers alone. Effective implementation of the policy requires coordinated efforts from MEHE, CERD, relevant government agencies, development partners, organizations of persons with special needs, universities, unions, and most importantly, learners, together with that of teachers, school leaders, parents, and the wider school community. A road map detailing the implementation and monitoring of the policy has been developed and will be collaboratively implemented by key stakeholders.