From Pollution to Education: How Environmental Degradation in Lebanon Impacts the Education System

Written by Iasmina-Măriuca Stoian

Introduction

For the past two centuries to the present day, Lebanon has been subjected to the ever ongoing global environmental disasters and degradations, which have threatened the country’s infrastructure, national health and wellbeing as well as the overall economic climate. Most of them are also a result of the conflict period, more specifically from 2006. This article looks at the effects that environmental disasters have on education (such as destroyed school buildings and even threats to the health or the lives of students and teachers) . In country suffocating in the hazardous fog of pollution whilst suffering the effects of an extreme rise of commodity prices in their market economy, citizens live in a country that where health hazard is omnipresent and inevitable creates a population of sick and diseased people who have to then spend most of their income on healthcare, rendering them unable to afford any sort of education . It has become evident that there is an urgent need for the implementation of sustainable practices and policies in Lebanon, if the country hopes to improve its social welfare and economy. It is the responsibility of the Lebanese government to take the appropriate actions that will answer all needs of the Lebanese community. The pivotal question arises about whether our environment is being managed sustainably or if environmental concerns, along with the education sector, continue to be deprioritized. In order to have a sustainable future, both should be among the top priorities.

Current situation

Lebanon is facing severe environmental degradation due to systemic corruption, lack of effective regulation, unsustainable practices in agriculture and industry, but also from conflicts. From July 2006, the Post-Conflict Branch of the UN Environment Program started to monitor environmental issues associated with the conflict in Lebanon, by tracking potential environmental impacts on both sides of the border, in Lebanon and Israel. The assessment, conducted by the UN Environment and local partners, investigated issues related to solid and hazardous waste, industrial contamination, coastal and marine pollution, water resources, asbestos, and weapons used. The report found no evidence of depleted uranium or radioactive materials, but concerns remain about cluster bombs. In addition, the country heavily depends on generators for power consumption, and water and land have been polluted severely through human activities (deforestation). There is a large amount of disposal too. This has led to health problems, loss of biodiversity and increased exposure to natural disasters. Global cooperation and assistance, as well as the application of environmental legislation are indeed indispensable in helping Lebanon address its most pressing environmental challenges towards a healthier future.

Limited Access to Clean Water and Sanitation

According to the statistics made by USAID, Lebanon faces a significant water deficit, with only 48% of the population having access to safely managed water and 20% having access to safely managed sanitation. In schools, this lack of clean water and sanitation directly affects students who may not have access to safe drinking water or suitable sanitary facilities. These health risks, especially when specific ones recur time and again within a child’s life stream, can culminate in physical symptoms that keep sick children out of school. Schools also face challenges of providing their students and staff a safe environment as they lack access to water/sanitation with good quality infrastructure. USAID, among other organizations, along with local communities in Lebanon (plus other donors), are taking steps to provide populations access to safe drinking water and sanitation sources which would positively impact the students of tomorrow.

2020 Beirut explosion

On the 4th of August 2020, in the Port of Beirut, an explosion killed more than 200 people, injured more than 500 people, and affected approximately 280 educational institutions. What started as a simple warehouse fire of 2,750 tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate, later caused significant environmental damage, including air and water pollution due to the release of hazardous chemicals. Beirut, previously a cultural hub with famous universities, was heavily affected by the blast, worsening its pre-existing financial struggles and threatening faculty with job loss. Thus, the Beirut explosion remains a symbol of Lebanon’s deep-seated political corruption, negligence, and the broader issues existing in the country, also recognized as one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.

Impact on health for students and teachers

The environmental disaster in Lebanon has significant health impacts on both students and teachers. The Beirut explosion released toxic chemicals into the air, leading to respiratory problems in nearby schools. Additionally, the country’s inadequate waste management has resulted in polluted water supplies, causing gastrointestinal illnesses among children. Schools located near landfills or industrial areas are particularly at risk, exposing students and teachers to harmful pollutants daily. These environmental challenges exacerbate existing health issues, leading to higher dropout rates and lower educational outcomes.

Existing initiatives and responses

In response to the current situation in Lebanon, several projects and initiatives have been launched and are still in the process of implementation, in order to address these challenges. Multiple international organisations, some of them being USAID or the United Nations. USAID’s project named Lebanon Water Project (LWP) finished in 2020 and aimed to improve access to safe drinking water, and to develop wastewater management. Other projects are also notable, for instance, the UNDP’s reforestation initiative aims to restore 10,000 hectares of forestland by planting 10 million trees, while UNICEF’s WASH programs have provided clean water and sanitation to over 200,000 people.

Conclusion

In summary, severe environmental degradation in the face of systemic corruption, conflict, and poor regulation has left deep impacts on both the infrastructure and health of the country, notably education. The explosion at Beirut and unrelenting problems with water scarcity and pollution raise awareness and underscore the acute need for effective environmental management and sustainable practices. Whereas most of the giant strides have been traversed by international organizations—the USAID, United Nations, or any other organization—through focused projects related to reforestation, water management, and sanitation, these must be scaled and folded into broader systemic reforms. Intervention in environmental crises in Lebanon is not only significant for natural and urban landscapes but also a healthy and fair educational environment. This shall ensure that in the securing of a sustainable future, the environmental and educational priorities of Lebanon align and are robustly attended to by comprehensive and long-term strategies and international cooperation.

References

    Cover Image by Tripoli, Lebanon on 1/31/2021 © Zwein Florient / Shutterstock

     

    The working children of Tanzania: poverty and labour 

    Written by Mayeda Tayyab

    Tanzania is a country with a population of 45 million people, half of which are under the age of 18. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), about 4.2 million of Tanzania’s children (5-17 years old) engage in child labour, almost evenly split between boys and girls. Unfortunately, these children rarely earn anything for their labour as 92.4% work as unpaid family helpers while only 4% work in paid employment (International Labour Organisation and National Bureau of Statistics Tanzania, 2024). It is important to note that these numbers exclude any illegal activities involving children, like child trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, and child slavery.

    Why are these children working?

    The main cause leading to child labour in Tanzania is poverty. As of 2022, half of Tanzania’s population – 26 million people – lived in extreme poverty (Cowling, 2024). Thus these families rely heavily on child labour to meet the financial needs of their home.

    Poor families in rural areas dependent on farming for their livelihood cannot afford to buy machinery or hire help to assist with farming. Hence, children from these families take on a big part of the responsibilities that come with farming. This kind of child labour falls under the category of unpaid family work. Most of these children are exposed to harsh climates while working on farms and work gruellingly long hours.

    In addition to carrying out unpaid family work to help with finances, these children simply cannot afford to go to school. Many children from such backgrounds, particularly those living in rural areas, also need schools within safe distance of their homes. With no access to public transport and the inability to afford private transport, children who go to school must walk long distances to do so. Therefore, many children in these cases end up dropping out of school, unable to keep up with the work at home as well as studies.

    Unpaid family work: tobacco farms

    Child labour itself is not the only problem faced by Tanzanian children, their safety and well-being in performing hazardous work for low to no pay is also a critical matter. A good example of this is child labour in tobacco-growing communities. This work takes the form of unpaid family work.

    Children working in this industry perform a wide range of duties from field preparation to construction of barns, packaging, and cutting firewood. Working in open tobacco fields exposes these children to extreme weather conditions: scorching heat from the sun. On top of that, children spend hours working in unsanitary and unventilated sheds used to manage and store tobacco. All of this work involves handling tobacco and toxic fertilizers without any protective gear, having detrimental effects on the health of these developing children. There is also limited access to first aid kits in cases of injury while working on the farm.

    In 2016, ILO and ARISE conducted an assessment on children working in hazardous conditions and its impact on their health. During the research, it was found that half of the children interviewed for the study were working 5-8 hours a day, while one-third were working more than 8 hours a day – exceeding the standard working limit for adults – in dangerous conditions. Hence, in addition to the health risks associated with working in tobacco fields without protection, these children also suffer from extreme exhaustion due to the long hours and the physical demands that such work requires.

    Child domestic workers

    Another type of child labour common in Tanzania is in the form of child domestic workers. According to Anti-slavery International (2024), around 3% of the urban homes in Tanzania have child domestic workers. Almost a third of these child workers are between the ages of 10 to 14 and most of them (more than 80%) are girls (Anti-slavery International, 2024).

    Tanzanian children end up in domestic servitude in two main ways: 1) Girls who run away from their families escaping domestic violence or forced marriages – a common practice in rural Tanzania where daughters are married off at a very young age for ‘the bride price’ to reduce the financial burden on the family, 2) Girls who are sent to cities to work as domestic workers by their families as an alternative to child marriage.

    This kind of child labour comes with its risks. Unfortunately, many child domestic workers suffer physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their employers. Parents who send their kids to cities for this kind of work are often unaware of the abuse and exploitation faced by the children at the hands of their employers. These child domestic workers find themselves in extremely vulnerable positions and under the complete control of their employers as most of them do not have any formal work contract (only about 0.5 % of them have formal contracts), little to no pay for working up to 60+ hours a week, and no access to proper schooling (Anti-slavery International, 2024). With no financial independence and isolation from family, these children have no means of escaping the abuse they suffer at the hands of their employers. According to Anti-slavery International (2017), 40% of children working as domestic workers suffered physical abuse, 17% experienced sexual abuse, and more than 60% were illiterate.

    Education and child labour

    Child labour has a direct impact on children’s early education and a long-term impact on decent employment in adulthood. According to the International Labour Organisation (2018), most of the children engaged in child labour (nearly 95%) work in agriculture and almost all agricultural labour (92.5%) is unpaid family work. This type of work entails long hours, leaving no time for studies, hobbies, and activities with friends. Hence, Tanzanian children in child labour have a much higher school dropout rate than children who are not working. These working children, even if enrolled in school, are at a disadvantage in maintaining their studies and grades than children who are not in child labour.

    Furthermore, 8% of Tanzanian children within the compulsory schooling age (7-13 years) are not enrolled in school (International Labour Organisation, 2018). 40% of these children have either never been to school or have dropped out of school due to several reasons such as the distance of the school from home, and the cost of attending school (International Labour Organisation, 2018). Some of these children are not interested in attending school, while some of them are looking for work, others cannot go to school due to family responsibilities such as caring for sick family members or children.

    Thus Tanzania’s child labour has a detrimental impact on its children’s early education and development, creating adults with little to no basic skills needed to secure decent employment, therefore creating an endless cycle of poverty and child labour.

    References

    Cover Image “Helping Hands” by USAID/Tanzania via Flickr