The Lebanese Council of Ministers, meeting today at Baabda Palace under the chairmanship of President Joseph Aoun and attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and cabinet ministers, decided to exempt students in public and private schools, secondary schools, and technical institutes from the official examinations for the General Secondary Certificate and the Technical Baccalaureate in all its branches for the 2025–2026 academic year.

The Cabinet also approved granting certificates of successful completion for the 2025–2026 academic year to students enrolled in the Lebanese curriculum in the final year of secondary education across its four streams, as well as students in the final year of the Technical Baccalaureate, based on their assessment results and school grades.

To qualify, regular students must have achieved a passing average of no less than 9.5 by March 1, 2026.

Minister of Education and Higher Education Rima Karami then left the Cabinet session to hold a press conference, during which she announced the Council of Ministers’ decision and delivered the following statement:

“Based on an assessment of the security situation, after reviewing the data and reports submitted by the relevant authorities, discussing the proposals of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and in line with its commitment to ensuring equal opportunities for all students, the Council of Ministers has decided the following:”

First: Students in public and private schools, secondary schools, and technical institutes are exempted from the official examinations for the General Secondary Certificate and the Technical Baccalaureate in all branches for the 2025–2026 academic year.

Second: Certificates of successful completion for the 2025–2026 academic year will be granted to students enrolled in the Lebanese curriculum in the four branches of the final secondary grade, as well as to students in the final year of the Technical Baccalaureate. These certificates will be based on assessment results and school grades for regular students, provided that the student has achieved a passing average of at least 9.5 by March 1, 2026.

Third: A one-time extraordinary examination session for the General Secondary Certificate and the Technical Baccalaureate will be held starting on July 21, 2026, in order to protect the rights and interests of the following categories:

• Independent (private) candidates.

• Candidates who had failed in their public or private secondary schools or technical institutes as of March 1, 2026.

• Successful students who urgently require an official certificate with grades as a condition for university admission, scholarships in Lebanon or abroad, employment applications, or positions that require presentation of an official certificate and marks.

Fourth: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education will be tasked with taking all necessary administrative and academic measures, preparing a decree to determine the mechanisms for implementing this decision, and coordinating with higher education institutions in Lebanon to safeguard students’ rights and interests.

She also clarified that the security and military authorities are currently unable, under the existing circumstances, to provide the security guarantees necessary to ensure that examinations can be conducted in a fair and equitable manner for all students.

Political Division...

The issue had become a source of political division in recent weeks, with some parties calling for the cancellation of the official examinations due to the security situation and the war, which had affected the preparedness of more than one-third of Lebanon’s students. Others, however, insisted that the exams should go ahead regardless of the conflict.

Minister of Education and Higher Education Rima Karami had remained firm in her position against cancelling the examinations, despite repeated calls from some members of parliament, parents, and students to do so.

Immediately after the decision was issued, a wave of joy spread across Riyadh al-Solh Square, where students had gathered in parallel with the Cabinet session in Baabda to demand the cancellation of the official exams.

Photography by Houssam Shbaro

Government Session...

The Cabinet held its regular session at 11 a.m. this morning at the Presidential Palace, chaired by President Joseph Aoun and attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

The Cabinet is reviewing an agenda that includes routine administrative matters and several draft laws, along with issues related to appointments and staffing, as well as requests to participate in meetings and conferences held outside Lebanon.

Photography by Nabil Ismail