FL Teaching in Lebanon

Although Lebanon is a small country, it is called “the Switzerland of the East” and it is designed as a bridge between the Arab countries and the West. Having this status as a crossroads of civilization, Lebanon was always famous for its continuous interest in education especially foreign language education. During the civil war (1975 1990), the quality of education suffered in Lebanon although both Lebanese teachers and students risked their lives when going to schools. When the war ended in 1990 the Center of Educational Research and Development (CERD) started updating the curricula to improve the quality of education. In his book ,CERD in 1017 days, Dr. Nemer Frayha, the head of CERD, stated that one of the aims of CERD was “paying special attention to foreign languages and technology in our curricula and school programs because they affect the student’s future and are keys to work and success”. (P.26)
From Dr. Frayha’s quotation, we notice the growing interest of the educators in foreign language teaching. This interest is not only from educators but from parents as well. It led to the lowering of age of teaching English and foreign languages in Lebanon.
Both Lebanese educators and parents realize the importance of introducing a foreign language in a country such as Lebanon. The Lebanese educational system is greatly affected by other civilizations. A Lebanese school might follow the French system, the American system or the Arabic system. France, Britain, the United States, Germany and Italy are all running schools in Lebanon. This interest in learning a second language is grounded on the fact that the second language is necessary for success in elementary and higher education. In school, second language affects a student success in science and to a lesser extent in mathematics. The Lebanese curriculum gives official freedom to teach math and science in Arabic or any other foreign language. Almost 99% of the schools teach these two subjects in foreign language. Moreover, most schools use American books not national or EFL books to teach the English subject at schools. Books by American publishers, such as ScottsForesman, Harcourt, and Scholastic are widely used in Lebanese schools. Parents and educators feel the necessity to have the students start learning a foreign language early so that students are able to succeed in these subjects. In fact, some parents compliment the study of foreign language in schools by sending their children to FL camps, and making them do summer FL courses, watching movies and communicating in FL at home. Furthermore, parents demand starting learning English at small age because they are worried about their children’s future and their chances to enter a private university. Most Lebanese universities require that a student passes the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and parents believe that the number of years of studying English affects the score on such tests. Parents also believe in the importance of learning L2 especially if there’s a possibility that their children study abroad in a foreign country. There are other reasons for lowering the age of L2 learning. Knowing a second language can lead to better job opportunities. It is well known that a bilingual person can benefit his society a lot through his interaction with people from other cultures or through reading their literature and cultural heritage. Finally, the Lebanese regard fluency in a second language as a major expression of prestige.
The reform of education, the use of FL in teaching at schools and universities, the quest for a better future, better interaction with other cultures, and better job opportunities, and the Lebanese view of foreign language are factors that explain the recent alarm which led to lowering the age of teaching a foreign language in Lebanon.