article · Part of No. 11, December 1948, English section (pages 1–13) · p. 10 p. 11
WOMEN'S EDUCATION IN LEBANON PAST AND PRESENT
WOMEN'S EDUCATION IN LEBANON PAST AND PRESENT · WADAD CORTAS
The Lebanese are by nature culturally conscious. No compulsory laws, even in our present independent status, force the average inhabitant of this country to send his children to school. He does so because of a deep rooted urge refreshed through constant contact with different streams of culture.
Lebanon, a highway between East and West, has been privileged all through its history with the sublime duty of teaching mankind.
Its earliest inhabitants, the Phoenicians traffiked in all values, spiritual and material, way back in 1000 B.C. They crossed the sea to hand their precious alphabet to Greece.
Through succeeding periods of conquest the Lebanese never lost their thirst for knowledge.
When the Arabs conquered Lebanon in the 7th. Century, they found it saturated with Greco-Roman culture.
When the Turks entered Lebanon in the 16th. century they did little to encourage learning. As a result of their despotic regime an overwhelming majority of liberal minded people left their fatherland in pursuit of tolerance and freedom.
Early in the 17th. Century foreign missionaries started coming to the rescue. Although their motive was not purely educative, they helped a great deal in fighting ignorance and fear.
The first organized attempt at opening shools started early in the 19th. Century when Ibrahim Pacha, the Egyptian conqueror of Lebanon, initiated a system of boys' education.
Far more important to us than that event was the opening in 1834 of the first girls School in Beirut. The enterprize was started by Eli Smith and his wife, a young and devoted American couple whose zeal and idealism made them go all the way to Leipzig in search of Arabic printing. Few books were provided for, and immediately a number of other schoolds opened.
Soon, the French took the lead and surpassed, in their boys and girls schools, every other foreign effort. With the ardour of medieval monks their friars taught, translated and transmitted knowledge to all classes of Society.
The British started in 1873 a boys and girls School in Brummana and ever since the school has been flourishing under the auspices of the board of Friends in England. At the moment it is the only school that prepares for the Oxford and Cambridge matriculation. A little later another British Mission started a women's training in Beirut; this school is also progressing steadily.
Not very far from Beirut, to the south, stands the village of Shoueifat that has greatly contributed to the intellectual standard of Lebanon. Through the individual initiative of Rev. T. Saad, a co-educational institution was founded about 70 years ago. At the Shoueifat College, hundreds of young men and women were educated; the institution is still flourishing and progressing.
Miss Malek, an ambitious woman, started also another school that has been training girls for a healthier and better way of living.
The Russians, way back in the early 19th. Century, opened a number of primary institutions for girls. During the first world war however, they handed them over to the Greek Philanthropic Society, who has at the moment, a very well run series of schools.
In 1917 the Turks, hitherto disinterested in opening schools, sent to Beirut, Fahda Edib, a very capable woman leader accompanied by 50 trained teachers, to open a primary, a secondary and a normal school for girls. The scheme was a success except that it came a bit late to leave a lasting impression.
Zahrat El-Ihsan, the first National School for girls opened in 1867, sponsored by the Greek Orthodox community. During the war its services were greatly needed by people who refused to send their girls to either the German or the Turks.
Another admirable adventure in National Education was that of Marie Kassab, a woman of high idealism who started a private school, in 1916, when Beirut was suddenly deprived of a number of European Institutions.
Marie Kassab's School, known as the « Ahliah National College », is actually our highest Lebanese Institution. Its main raison d'être is to initiate the young women of the country to the appreciation of their own as well as Western culture.
After the armistice of 1918, a great number of foreign schools for girls re-opened their gates.
The widest territory was to be won again by the French Missions who were particularly invigorated by the presence of the French Mandate in Lebanon.
During the Mandate period, 1920-1940, the Government doubled the number of its primary institutions, a great number of religious schools belonging to the Christian and Moslem Philanthropic Associations, opened their gates.
In 1946 the Ministry of Education in Lebanon issued a decree by which all private institutions, foreign or National, passed under the control of the state. The official program (syllabus), is at present enforced in all schools.
Our official secondary program is modelled after the French, but leaves space for National needs.
Besides Arabic, which is the basic language of instruction in primary grades, the child must learn either French or English. The number of foreign languages grows as he advances into secondary grades
A group of responsible women founded, in 1940, a little home for destitute and fatherless children. They called it «Beit-el-Yatim», «The Orphan's Home.» During 1940-1945, fifty orphans were sheltered in that Home.
In 1945 a big donation, which came from Lebanese emigrants in America and Africa, was added to the fund of Leb. L. 10,000.00 already raised by the Committee in charge. Thus, it was possible to erect a new one-story building designed to house a bigger number of orphans. Donations continued to come in small amounts so that the Board of Trustees was soon able to add two more stories to the building. The number of boarding orphans reached 125, while the school attached to the orphanage had, in addition, 60 outside students. A principal with six teachers and three servants run the school.
Up to the age of ten, all children learn Arabic, a foreign language, arithmetic, ethics, needle-work and athletics. The boys leave the school at the age of ten, while the girls specialize in domestic science. The aim of the Committee is to make of these potential citizens useful men and women. Particular attention is given to the girls who are trained to become future governesses, matrons, practical nurses or efficient housewives.
The 'Abey Davidiyyeh School, offers a yearly scholarship to the student with the highest school average, enabling him, or her, to continue through high school education.
Attached to the orphanage is a small dispensary which takes care of the community around and at the same time serves as the laboratory necessary for the girl students. Also a little library has been started and gifts of books come to it from time to time.
This brief survey only gives a general idea of the work that is being done by the Druze Orphanage. The Committee is working hard to extend its services to the greatest number possible of needy and homeless children, and is trying to overcome the financial handicaps which constitute its major problem. Yet, all those who support Beit-el-Yatim are proud of the results they have been able to achieve so far, and above all, of the fact that they are affording to so many children, otherwise helpless, the opportunities of normal childhood leading to responsible citizenship.
where the subject matter, except for history, could be taught in either French or English.
The program leaves space for basic training in Music and the Arts.
University Training for Women
Our two foreign Universites, the American University, founded in 1866 and the French University in 1867, opened their gates to women 27 years ago.
Women can now enter on equal footing, the schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Literature.
Hitherto, both Universities had neglected the realm of « Fine Arts », a field of particular interest to women.
The challenge was admirably met by the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, founded in 1940, by Mr. Alexis Boutros.
In the enrollment of 1948, the number of women far exceeds that of men.
The Academy constitutes the first National enterprize of higher education and is in fact the embryo of the Lebanese University.
Women in Lebanon to-day have great chances for higher training.
Lebanon's urgent need in the realm of education, is a unifying system by which all efforts will be crystalized in the pursuit of one ideal; the intellectual prosperity of Lebanon and the peace of the world.
The Lebanese are by nature culturally conscious. No compulsory laws, even in our present independent status, force the average inhabitant of this country to send his children to school. He does so because of a deep rooted urge refreshed through constant contact with different streams of culture.
Lebanon, a highway between East and West, has been privileged all through its history with the sublime duty of teaching mankind.
Its earliest inhabitants, the Phoenicians traffiked in all values, spiritual and material, way back in 1000 B.C. They crossed the sea to hand their precious alphabet to Greece.
Through succeeding periods of conquest the Lebanese never lost their thirst for knowledge.
When the Arabs conquered Lebanon in the 7th. Century, they found it saturated with Greco-Roman culture.
When the Turks entered Lebanon in the 16th. century they did little to encourage learning. As a result of their despotic regime an overwhelming majority of liberal minded people left their fatherland in pursuit of tolerance and freedom.
Early in the 17th. Century foreign missionaries started coming to the rescue. Although their motive was not purely educative, they helped a great deal in fighting ignorance and fear.
The first organized attempt at opening shools started early in the 19th. Century when Ibrahim Pacha, the Egyptian conqueror of Lebanon, initiated a system of boys' education.
Far more important to us than that event was the opening in 1834 of the first girls School in Beirut. The enterprize was started by Eli Smith and his wife, a young and devoted American couple whose zeal and idealism made them go all the way to Leipzig in search of Arabic printing. Few books were provided for, and immediately a number of other schoolds opened.
Soon, the French took the lead and surpassed, in their boys and girls schools, every other foreign effort. With the ardour of medieval monks their friars taught, translated and transmitted knowledge to all classes of Society.
The British started in 1873 a boys and girls School in Brummana and ever since the school has been flourishing under the auspices of the board of Friends in England. At the moment it is the only school that prepares for the Oxford and Cambridge matriculation. A little later another British Mission started a women's training in Beirut; this school is also progressing steadily.
Not very far from Beirut, to the south, stands the village of Shoueifat that has greatly contributed to the intellectual standard of Lebanon. Through the individual initiative of Rev. T. Saad, a co-educational institution was founded about 70 years ago. At the Shoueifat College, hundreds of young men and women were educated; the institution is still flourishing and progressing.
Miss Malek, an ambitious woman, started also another school that has been training girls for a healthier and better way of living.
The Russians, way back in the early 19th. Century, opened a number of primary institutions for girls. During the first world war however, they handed them over to the Greek Philanthropic Society, who has at the moment, a very well run series of schools.
In 1917 the Turks, hitherto disinterested in opening schools, sent to Beirut, Fahda Edib, a very capable woman leader accompanied by 50 trained teachers, to open a primary, a secondary and a normal school for girls. The scheme was a success except that it came a bit late to leave a lasting impression.
Zahrat El-Ihsan, the first National School for girls opened in 1867, sponsored by the Greek Orthodox community. During the war its services were greatly needed by people who refused to send their girls to either the German or the Turks.
Another admirable adventure in National Education was that of Marie Kassab, a woman of high idealism who started a private school, in 1916, when Beirut was suddenly deprived of a number of European Institutions.
Marie Kassab's School, known as the « Ahliah National College », is actually our highest Lebanese Institution. Its main raison d'être is to initiate the young women of the country to the appreciation of their own as well as Western culture.
After the armistice of 1918, a great number of foreign schools for girls re-opened their gates.
The widest territory was to be won again by the French Missions who were particularly invigorated by the presence of the French Mandate in Lebanon.
During the Mandate period, 1920-1940, the Government doubled the number of its primary institutions, a great number of religious schools belonging to the Christian and Moslem Philanthropic Associations, opened their gates.
In 1946 the Ministry of Education in Lebanon issued a decree by which all private institutions, foreign or National, passed under the control of the state. The official program (syllabus), is at present enforced in all schools.
Our official secondary program is modelled after the French, but leaves space for National needs.
Besides Arabic, which is the basic language of instruction in primary grades, the child must learn either French or English. The number of foreign languages grows as he advances into secondary grades
A group of responsible women founded, in 1940, a little home for destitute and fatherless children. They called it «Beit-el-Yatim», «The Orphan's Home.» During 1940-1945, fifty orphans were sheltered in that Home.
In 1945 a big donation, which came from Lebanese emigrants in America and Africa, was added to the fund of Leb. L. 10,000.00 already raised by the Committee in charge. Thus, it was possible to erect a new one-story building designed to house a bigger number of orphans. Donations continued to come in small amounts so that the Board of Trustees was soon able to add two more stories to the building. The number of boarding orphans reached 125, while the school attached to the orphanage had, in addition, 60 outside students. A principal with six teachers and three servants run the school.
Up to the age of ten, all children learn Arabic, a foreign language, arithmetic, ethics, needle-work and athletics. The boys leave the school at the age of ten, while the girls specialize in domestic science. The aim of the Committee is to make of these potential citizens useful men and women. Particular attention is given to the girls who are trained to become future governesses, matrons, practical nurses or efficient housewives.
The 'Abey Davidiyyeh School, offers a yearly scholarship to the student with the highest school average, enabling him, or her, to continue through high school education.
Attached to the orphanage is a small dispensary which takes care of the community around and at the same time serves as the laboratory necessary for the girl students. Also a little library has been started and gifts of books come to it from time to time.
This brief survey only gives a general idea of the work that is being done by the Druze Orphanage. The Committee is working hard to extend its services to the greatest number possible of needy and homeless children, and is trying to overcome the financial handicaps which constitute its major problem. Yet, all those who support Beit-el-Yatim are proud of the results they have been able to achieve so far, and above all, of the fact that they are affording to so many children, otherwise helpless, the opportunities of normal childhood leading to responsible citizenship.
where the subject matter, except for history, could be taught in either French or English.
The program leaves space for basic training in Music and the Arts.
University Training for Women
Our two foreign Universites, the American University, founded in 1866 and the French University in 1867, opened their gates to women 27 years ago.
Women can now enter on equal footing, the schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Literature.
Hitherto, both Universities had neglected the realm of « Fine Arts », a field of particular interest to women.
The challenge was admirably met by the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, founded in 1940, by Mr. Alexis Boutros.
In the enrollment of 1948, the number of women far exceeds that of men.
The Academy constitutes the first National enterprize of higher education and is in fact the embryo of the Lebanese University.
Women in Lebanon to-day have great chances for higher training.
Lebanon's urgent need in the realm of education, is a unifying system by which all efforts will be crystalized in the pursuit of one ideal; the intellectual prosperity of Lebanon and the peace of the world.
Translation and transcription are machine-made and may contain errors. See it on the page.