2015 – 2020
“I Am a Citizen – Student Councils in Lebanon” is a partnership project between the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), UNICEF, and Masar Association.
The project aims at putting into practice the principle of Democracy and enhancing students’ meaningful participation in the school community through the election of Student Councils, the planning and implementation of student- led projects that result in the betterment of the school community and its surrounding.
The Student Councils had been piloted in 20 public schools in grades 7, 8, and 10 throughout 3 scholastic years starting in 2015. In scholastic year 2019- 2020, the Student Councils are being rolled out in 100 public schools across the 8 governorates in Lebanon. This shall be based on a decree to be issued by MEHE. Also, the Student Councils experience has been documented in a user friendly manual, which serves as a tool to help rolling out the model nationally.
The project activities include:
- Organizing orientation workshops addressing educational counselors from DOPS (the unit at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in charge of the Student Councils) and Student Councils’ coordinators in schools with the aim to forge a common understanding and inform them on the project:
the role and importance of Student Councils and the implementation method.
- Opening the door for candidacy for the elections and allowing students to organize electoral campaigns.
- Organizing Student Councils’ elections at the classroom level and preparing minutes of elections meeting.
- Organizing training sessions for elected Student Councils members on life skills, when possible, with the aim to develop their capacities to do the job well.
- Student Councils’ members meet on a regular basis to identify priorities, plan for projects and present them to the school principle for approval.
- Implementation of the student-led projects, and posting progress and results on a cork board for students to be informed.