Lebanese schools reopen as thousands of families remain sheltered amid ongoing war

In Tyre’s gymnasium-turned-refugee camp, eleven-year-old Fatima Khashab helps her mother tidy the cramped sleeping area shared by roughly 200 families, while the school year is slated to start on Sept. 15. The latest Israel-Hezbollah clash has displaced about 350,000 Lebanese, many of whom still occupy public schools; some 21,000 remain in collective shelters. Officials say schools will reopen for lessons, retaining only a small portion of space for those with nowhere else to go, but 340 schools were damaged and about 30 destroyed, limiting capacity.

Save the Children warns of at least four years of learning loss, noting that a sixth-grader now reads at a second-grade level. Families like Randa al-Taki’s lament loss of privacy, livelihood and the uncertainty of returning home as Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Lebanon. The education ministry promises a seat for every student, yet internet shortages make online classes difficult for shelter residents. Humanitarian groups continue to provide activities, but the broader crisis threatens Lebanon’s historically strong education system and its economy that depends on a skilled diaspora.