ForeignCurriculum

Who has the right to be exempted from the Lebanese curriculum?

Any student can pursue a foreign educational system legally recognized in Lebanon on condition that he was exempted from the Lebanese curriculum according to one of the following categories:

• A Lebanese who studied abroad (law 29/73);
• A non Lebanese or a Lebanese who is a holder of another country's passport, and who has studied abroad or in Lebanon.

 N.B: Exemption means exemption from the Lebanese curriculum, not from Arabic or from the subjects taught in Arabic.

  

Is it possible for all the Lebanese living abroad to obtain an exemption?

No, the law 29/73 specifies the conditions as follows:

Administrative requirements:

• The student or his guardian should provide proof of residence in the country, where he completed his studies

Educational requirements:

• A student who is in the primary education, from grade one to grade seven or the equivalent, should submit his grades showing that he has successfully completed three consecutive years of study in a recognized school abroad.
• A student from grade eight to grade twelve or equivalent should submit his grades showing that he has successfully completed two consecutive years of study in a recognized school abroad?.

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What are the foreign programs that can be legally taught in Lebanon?

In addition to the Lebanese curriculum which is implemented in Lebanese public and private schools, only three foreign educational systems are allowed in private schools and regulated by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in order to ensure quality: 

• The French system
• The International Baccalaureate system
• The high-school system
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Can any school teach a non-Lebanese curriculum?

In order to teach the French system, the school has to have the following status:

• It should be officially registered  with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon
• It may have "twinning" with schools that issue the diploma (France)

In order to teach the International Baccalaureate system, the school has to have the following status:

• It should be officially registered  with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon
• It should acquire the same approval conditions that are imposed on schools in the country of origin of the educational system concerned
• It should acquire the approval of the equivalences committee in the ministry of education and higher education

In order to teach the American System (High School Degree (HSD) the school has to have the following status:

• It should be recognized by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
• Since there is as yet no accreditation body or international body, any school recognized by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education can, in theory, teach the American system

And in order to ensure the quality and level of education in this system (American System), the Ministry of Education and Higher Education issued laws that require the following conditions:

The student must have:

• completed his studies from Grade 1 to Grade 12
• received a High School diploma (HSD)
• achieving the passing grade required the Equivalency Committee in SAT 1 exam before registering in freshman
• registered in freshman in the institutions of the higher education recognized by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, that is legally permitted to teach the freshman course requirements
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The Diploma and the number of years of study:

• A diploma is awarded after the completion of twelve successful consecutive years of study
• The certificate should be issued by a governmental entity or by the responsible organization

 

What are certificates granted by these programs?

The French System: French Baccalaureate (BF)

The high-school system: High school diploma (for equivalence click Freshman )

The International Baccalaureate System: International Baccalaureate (IB)

N.B: No school certificate can give the permission to pursue higher education outside conditions mentioned above.

 

The list of schools licensed to teach foreign curriculum in Lebanon

 

Needed documents​​