Testing time for Lebanon鈥檚 foreign aid-reliant education system

The US administration has said it is eliminating more than 90 percent of USAID鈥檚 foreign aid contracts. (AFP) (AFP)(Getty Images/File)
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  • Sudden suspension of USAID funding leaves thousands of students without scholarships or support
  • US-funded universities and agencies brace for challenges as aid review prompts program shutdowns

DUBAI: Thousands of students in Lebanon, where public institutions including schools and universities are heavily reliant on international assistance, have been badly hit by the new US administration鈥檚 suspension of foreign aid.

The executive order issued in January to ensure all United States Agency for International Development (USAID) projects align with US national interests has plunged students and academic institutions in Lebanon into uncertainty.

鈥淢y parents cannot afford to keep me enrolled if I lose my scholarship,鈥� Rawaa, an 18-year-old university student attending the Lebanese American University, told Arab News. 鈥淓ven if I worked day and night, I would not be able to cover a fraction of my tuition.鈥�

According to USAID, some 16,396 students in Lebanon have previously benefited from the agency鈥檚 support as part of its higher education capacity building initiative.

Soon after the suspension was announced, students in Lebanon received official emails notifying them that their scholarships had been discontinued for 90 days. No further clarification has been sent.




Some 16,396 students in Lebanon have previously benefited from USAID鈥檚 support. (AFP/File)

鈥淚 have been obsessively refreshing my inbox and my news feed to see if there are any updates concerning the continuation of the USAID scholarship,鈥� said Rawaa, but to little avail.

Lebanon received $219 million through USAID in 2024 alone to support nongovernmental organizations, water management and development projects in rural areas, educational and economic opportunities, and humanitarian assistance.

The US administration has said it is eliminating more than 90 percent of USAID鈥檚 foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall assistance around the world. An internal memo said officials were 鈥渃learing significant waste stemming from decades of institutional drift.鈥�

More changes are planned in how USAID and the State Department deliver foreign assistance, it said, 鈥渢o use taxpayer dollars wisely to advance American interests.鈥�

Many Republican lawmakers believe USAID has been wasteful and harbors a liberal agenda. US President Donald Trump himself has promised to dramatically reduce spending and shrink the federal government.

The dismantling of USAID by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, overseen by Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, has seen pushback by unions, aid groups, and foreign policy analysts, who tout the agency鈥檚 鈥渟oft power鈥� credentials.

Samantha Power, the USAID chief under former President Joe Biden, called the agency 鈥淎merica鈥檚 superpower鈥� in an opinion piece for the New York Times. 鈥淲e are witnessing one of the worst and most costly foreign policy blunders in US history,鈥� she wrote.




The dismantling of USAID DOGE has seen pushback by unions, aid groups, and foreign policy analysts. (AFP/File)

鈥淔uture generations will marvel that it wasn鈥檛 China鈥檚 actions that eroded US standing and global security but rather an American president and the billionaire he unleashed to shoot first and aim later,鈥� she added, in reference to Musk.

In 2023, Power allocated $50 million to support educational opportunities for Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian students in Lebanon. Some $15 million was earmarked for 140 university students, while the remainder went to thousands of younger disadvantaged students.

The 90-day suspension of USAID鈥檚 work while its programs are reviewed has resulted in thousands of Lebanese losing their jobs and as many as 500 students, who relied on American-funded scholarships, have been forced to drop out.

Teacher training programs have been cut and US-affiliated institutions such as the American University of Beirut, the Lebanese American University, and Haigazian University have also seen their budgets slashed.

USAID is an independent agency established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. It has long been a lifeline for programs in health, disaster relief, environmental protection, development, and education across the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.




Teacher training programs have been cut and US-affiliated institutions. (AFP/File)

The decision to suspend its operations is already having an impact on the work of UN agencies in the Middle East. The World Food Programme鈥檚 cash assistance scheme in Lebanon is expected to end for 170,000 Lebanese citizens and approximately 570,000 Syrian refugees.

The UN children鈥檚 fund, UNICEF, has also been forced to suspend or scale back its assistance, with just 26 percent of its donor appeal for Lebanon funded for the year ahead.

Ettie Higgins, UNICEF鈥檚 deputy representative in Lebanon, said an initial assessment had shown the agency must 鈥渄rastically reduce鈥� many of its programmes, including those related to child nutrition.

鈥淭he assessment revealed a grim picture of children鈥檚 nutrition situation, particularly in Baalbeck and Bekaa governorates, which remained densely populated when they were repeatedly targeted by airstrikes,鈥� Higgins said in a video statement from Beirut.

She was referring to the recent war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, whose strongholds in southern and eastern Lebanon came under intense bombardment during the 15-month conflict.

Higgins said approximately 80 percent of families residing in these areas are in need of support, with 31 percent lacking sufficient drinking water, putting them at risk of contracting waterborne diseases.




The combined impact of economic crisis, political paralysis, the coronavirus pandemic, the Beirut port blast, and conflict with Israel has left Lebanon鈥檚 education system a shadow of its former self. (AFP/File)

鈥淢ore than half a million children and their families in Lebanon are at risk of losing critical cash support from UN agencies,鈥� she added, highlighting how these cuts could deprive the most vulnerable of their 鈥渓ast lifeline鈥� to afford basic necessities.

Meanwhile, infrastructure and energy programs in rural areas have been halted, while support for small and medium-sized enterprises has stopped, leaving many families struggling.

Civil society groups and nongovernmental organizations reliant on USAID grants have also been forced to place social programs on hold, while countless employees have lost their jobs.

Once home to some of the best academic institutions and programs in the Middle East, the combined impact of economic crisis, political paralysis, the coronavirus pandemic, the Beirut port blast, and conflict with Israel has left Lebanon鈥檚 education system a shadow of its former self.

Poverty rates have skyrocketed since the financial crisis hit in 2019, with countless children forced to abandon their studies to seek work in order to support their families.




Many Republican lawmakers believe USAID has been wasteful and harbors a liberal agenda. (AFP/File)

Furthermore, the war between Israel and Hezbollah forced many schools to postpone their academic terms, as at least 500 state institutions were converted into makeshift shelters to house displaced families.

Now another generation of young people is destined to miss out on higher education having lost access to US-funded scholarships.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what I will do in the case of scholarship suspension,鈥� said Lebanese American University student Rawaa. 鈥淚 had dreams of becoming an architect and now it鈥檚 been taken away from me.鈥�