Lebanese University professors: approved in principle on hold until 2029

After years of delays, Lebanon is moving forward with a long-awaited decision to grant full-time status to 1,894 professors at the Lebanese University. The Cabinet's October 22 decision sets out a gradual process beginning in January 2027, offering greater job security to professors who have spent years working under contractual arrangements.

But how will the decision be implemented? Who will be selected first, how much will professors earn, and what difference will it make to the university?

When will professors receive full-time status?

Lebanese University President Bassam Badran explained to The Beiruter that the decision will be implemented in four successive groups rather than granting full-time status to all professors at once.

According him, the first group of 452 professors is expected to receive full-time status on January 1, 2027, followed by another 452 on September 1 of the same year. A third group of 453 professors will follow on September 1, 2028, while the final group of approximately 500 professors is scheduled for September 1, 2029.

This gradual process means that while some professors could receive full-time status in just a few months, others will have to wait nearly three more years.

Badran explained that two main criteria will determine selection: seniority within each faculty and the university's academic needs.

However, he clarified that "the selection of the 452 has not been completed," explaining that 400 professors had already been selected under a previous decision, primarily according to seniority. The additional 52 still need to be selected.

Dr. Joseph Richani, who has worked as a contractual professor at the Lebanese University for 14 years, told The Beiruter that he was concerned about further delays.

He recalled that an earlier decision was expected to take effect on September 1, 2026, but was never implemented. "The government did not comply with that decision," he said, hoping the January 2027 deadline would finally be respected.

Richani also questioned why the professors' names must return to the Cabinet for approval rather than being published directly in the Official Gazette by the Education Minister. He raised concerns about transparency, claiming that sectarian balance has played a major role in determining appointments.

Richani also shared his own experience, "I had a teaching workload, I was at the university, I had received a scholarship from the university, I had priority to be granted full-time status”, he explained. “But they did not grant me full-time status in 2014. They went and brought other people through connections and granted them full-time status. Nobody asked about me. Nobody said, 'We sent someone abroad and spent around $100,000 or $120,000 on him.’ So we hope that, God willing, the same thing will not happen now." He attributed his prolonged contractual status, in part, to possible favoritism and sectarian considerations.

How much will professors earn?

One of the main questions surrounding the decision concerns salaries and whether full-time employment will bring substantial financial improvements.

Badran explained that salaries will differ depending on professors' years of experience, academic rank and qualifications. According to him, each professor starts with a basic salary of LL3,750,000, with an additional LL225,000 for every salary grade. Professors receive one grade for every two years of experience.

For example, someone with ten years of experience would accumulate five grades, equivalent to LL1,125,000. Added to the basic salary, this brings the amount to LL4,875,000, which is then multiplied by eleven, producing an illustrative monthly salary of LL53,625,000 before additional adjustments.

Professors holding higher academic ranks may receive additional grades.

"You cannot simply give one figure because it depends on each individual's situation," Badran explained.

For Richani, however, the most significant improvement would be receiving a regular monthly salary. Currently, contractual professors are paid according to the hours they teach, often facing lengthy delays.

"I get paid every six or seven months for the hours I taught previously," he explained.

"Is it reasonable that I have to wait six, seven, or even eight months to receive my salary?,” he asked.

He added that contractual professors are not paid for teaching hours lost to public holidays or strikes and generally receive no transportation allowance, health insurance or assistance with their children's education.

"We pay out of our own pockets to travel to the university and teach, only to receive our payments six, seven, or eight months later", he said.

Although Richani acknowledged that full-time salaries might still be insufficient to meet all living expenses, he stressed that predictable monthly payments would provide much-needed financial stability.

Beyond salaries, full-time employment would also provide access to benefits through the Lebanese University Professors' Mutual Aid Fund, including healthcare coverage.

However, Badran explained that the necessary funding still requires parliamentary approval.

The proposed 2027 budget includes allocations for the professors expected to receive full-time status that year, alongside contributions to the Mutual Aid Fund.

"If the budget is approved as it came from the Council of Ministers," he explained, the required funding will have been secured.

Could this finally bring stability to the university?

For Badran, the decision goes beyond improving professors' employment conditions. He believes it could address a long-standing problem affecting academic stability.

"The problem of strikes at the university was a chronic problem," he said, referring to repeated disruptions linked to employment conditions.

He traced the issue back to 2014, describing it as a problem that continued growing without a lasting solution. "The correct solution from the very beginning would have been to grant full-time status annually, according to the university's needs," he explained.

Richani similarly believes the decision could improve teaching quality by allowing professors to concentrate on their academic responsibilities rather than seeking additional employment.

Many contractual professors currently teach at private universities, institutes or schools to supplement their income, he told The Beiruter, adding “full-time appointments would allow

them to dedicate more time to research, academic publications, supervising students and developing their careers.”

He also claimed that contractual professors account for approximately 80% of the university's teaching staff, while full-time and tenured professors represent only 20%, the reverse of what he said the university's regulations require.

Richani also warned that further delays could push more professors to leave Lebanon, particularly Christian professors, whom he described as especially likely to consider emigrating because of unstable employment conditions.

"If the full-time employment file is not approved, a large number of professors will certainly emigrate, particularly Christian professors," he said.

He argued that many contractual professors are working without receiving the employment security and benefits they deserve, leaving them with little choice but to seek opportunities abroad.

"To limit this emigration, the full-time employment file must be approved as quickly as possible, without delay," he stressed.