Education Minister Abbas Halabi has called on schools, universities and public and private educational institutions to close their doors tomorrow, as a general strike called by transport unions is scheduled. He said he had received information from the security services indicating the closure of the main roads and demonstrations.
Previously, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education had indicated to leave the free decision to open or close schools tomorrow, because of the call for a general strike by the Confederation of Transport Unions.
At the same time as this decision to close schools and universities, the Ministry of the Interior indicates that it has taken exceptional measures to ensure the safety of the population and of the demonstrators.
As a reminder, the demonstrators aim to denounce the degradation of social and economic conditions induced by the current crisis in Lebanon but also the non-respect by the Lebanese authorities of the promises made to them concerning the maintenance of purchasing power. This strike call comes as the Lebanese pound hit its all-time low against the dollar just 2 days ago, with a parity rate of 33,000 LL / USD on the black market. Thus, the minimum wage which was equivalent to 450 USD just 2 years ago would currently be worth less than 20 USD. This deterioration in the parity of the Lebanese pound has led to a significant loss in purchasing power, with Lebanon importing 70% of its goods paid for in foreign currency, causing more than 82% of the population to live below the poverty line.
