Lebanon’s public schools are set to reopen on Tuesday, September 15, but some in the south will continue sheltering people displaced by Israel’s war. In Froun, principal Abbas Makki said the local school would resume classes without abandoning the families living there.
The challenge is especially acute in villages where homes and infrastructure have been destroyed. Local officials in Froun say most of the village still lacks state-provided water or electricity, leaving many displaced residents unable to return home.
Why reopening is difficult in the south
Froun, in the Bint Jbeil district about two hours south of Beirut, was included in a pilot-zone programme created under a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon. Residents who returned after the ceasefire found rubble where homes had stood, and some began living at the local school.
Soujoud Ramadan now runs a small market at the school entrance, selling snacks and basic household necessities. She said the market was needed because destruction in the town centre and nearby areas has forced residents to drive to less-damaged villages for supplies.
Key points
- Lebanon’s Education Minister Rima Karami said every student would have access to school in the 2026–27 academic year.
- Public schools are expected to hold in-person classes wherever possible.
- More than 340 schools have been damaged, while 454 have been affected by conflict or displacement-related disruption.
- Lebanon’s Ministry of Health says 4,381 people have been killed by Israel since March 2.
Displacement has not ended
Some people who had been sheltering in schools returned home or found other accommodation after the framework agreement was established. Recent Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon have driven some people back from their homes, however. On Monday, an attack on a residential building and a car in Kfar Reman, in the Nabatieh region, killed 12 people, including two children, according to the supplied account. For additional context, see “Four killed and 20 wounded in southern Lebanon air attacks”.
Maysoun Chehab, a senior education programme specialist at UNESCO’s Beirut office, said a school could not function at the same time as a proper shelter and a normal learning environment. She said reopening may be delayed or classroom capacity reduced where displaced families remain, and that they should not be evacuated without safe, dignified alternative accommodation.
Plans for alternative accommodation
During a tour of southern Lebanon, Education Minister Rima Karami said no displaced person sheltering in a school would be removed without an alternative being offered. In Srifa, displaced people were reportedly moved from a public school to a private school, while in Bourj Qalaway the Council of the South reportedly planned 17 prefabricated classrooms after the village school was destroyed.
In Froun, Makki said prefabricated houses would be provided for displaced people so students could return to classrooms. The Lebanese government also set September 15 as a goal for restoring water and electricity to the village, according to a local official.
Damage extends beyond buildings
Chehab said Lebanon was trying to protect education amid continued hostilities, displacement and extensive damage to schools. She identified the immediate needs as rehabilitating schools and replacing lost equipment, while also warning that students’ education had been disrupted during each of the past seven years. A related part of this story is covered in “Palestinian killed in Jerusalem while Qusra families remain under siege”.
The school reopening comes as hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced in Lebanon. Chehab said education should be restored before complete political or security stability, with efforts focused on safe learning, support for teachers and a return to normality for children.
What happens next
Lebanon’s public school year is scheduled to begin on September 15, with in-person classes planned wherever possible and alternative accommodation to be offered to displaced people sheltering in schools.
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