Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Rima Karami issued Decree No. 407/M/2026, concerning the implementation mechanism for distance learning in public schools and high schools closed due to the Israeli aggression on Lebanon. It stated: "The Minister of Education and Higher Education, Pursuant to Decree 53 dated 8/2/2025 (Formation of the Government), Pursuant to Decree 2869 dated 16/12/1959 and its amendments (Organization of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education), Pursuant to Decree No. 2089 dated 18/10/1971 and its amendments under Decree No. 4892 dated 27/8/2010 (Defining actual teaching days in public schools and high schools), Pursuant to Decisions No. 1130/M/2001 dated 13/9/2001 (Internal Regulations of Public Schools) and No. 590/M/1974 dated 19/6/1974 (Internal Regulations of Public High Schools) and their amendments, Pursuant to Circular No. 17/M/2026 dated 9/3/2026, And after consulting the Directors of Primary and Secondary Education and of Guidance and Counseling, and based on the proposal of the Director General of Education, it has been decided the following: Article One: Administrations of public high schools and schools shall undertake the process of distance learning for all educational subjects and complete preparatory work related to monitoring the readiness of teaching staff and students, particularly regarding the census of: - Students enrolled in distance learning, their level of readiness, and the availability of technical means for them to follow up. - Teaching staff, both tenured and contracted under various titles, and their level of readiness and availability of technical means for teaching. - The staff team within the school. - The availability of equipment and auxiliary means for distance learning in schools and high schools located in safe areas. Article Two: Public high schools and schools shall, in distance learning, use the following means available free of charge, and these means are considered essential for the implementation of distance learning: - Microsoft Teams platform - "Madristi" platform (madristi.mehe.gov.lb) - The electronic textbook application Ebooks prepared by the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD), through which official textbooks can be downloaded for free and used offline (https://www.crdp.org/books-digital) - The "Call and Learn" service on the free hotline: Telephone: 01/594832 - Whatsapp: 71/372321 In the event that the above-mentioned means are not available for use, the required electronic content can be sent via social media, - Paper-based resources. Article Three: A distance learning session is calculated as 40 minutes, at a rate of 24 sessions per week over 4 days according to the teaching schedules outlined in the tables prepared for this purpose. - Teaching sessions shall be recorded where possible to enable students to refer back to them later. - The school/high school principal shall assume general supervision of the implementation of distance learning, and must submit periodic reports on the workflow through administrative channels, while monitors are responsible for supervising the commitment of students and teachers/professors to attending distance learning sessions. Article Four: The implementation of distance learning can take place through the attendance of the teaching and administrative staff at the school if it is safe, or at schools, teachers' houses, and guidance and counseling centers adjacent to their current location if distance learning means are available, or from home, provided that the director of the adjacent school, the director of the house, or the director of the center keeps an attendance register for them. Article Five: Regional Education Departments shall monitor the distance learning process in all public schools within their jurisdiction and submit their reports weekly to the Director of Primary Education, who in turn submits them to the Director General of Education along with his proposals, who in turn submits them to the Minister of Education and Higher Education along with his proposals on the progress of this process. Likewise, regional inspectors in secondary education shall monitor the distance learning process in all high schools within their jurisdiction and submit weekly reports to the Director of Secondary Education, who in turn submits them with his proposals to the Director General of Education, who in turn submits them to the Minister of Education and Higher Education with his proposals on the progress of this process. Article Six: The Guidance and Counseling Department shall monitor the distance learning process across all its subjects and units, with counselors submitting reports on student responsiveness to distance learning, their psychological, health, and social conditions, the challenges facing teachers and teaching staff regarding the use of resources and applications placed at their disposal, and the measures taken to provide them with support. These reports shall be submitted electronically to the Director of the Guidance and Counseling Department, who shares them with the Directors of Primary and Secondary Education, each according to their jurisdiction. The Director of the Guidance and Counseling Department shall submit weekly reports on the work completed by the counselors to the Director General of Education, as well as on the challenges facing distance learning. In turn, the Director General shall submit a report on the progress of this process, along with proposals, to the Minister of Education and Higher Education, with copies to the Directorates of Primary and Secondary Education. Furthermore, the school environment hotline managed by the Guidance and Counseling Department at number 01772000 will be ready during working hours to receive calls and provide support regarding learners with special needs, and everything related to psychosocial support and learner protection. Article Seven: Regarding service and cleaning staff during the distance learning phase, public school and high school principals are requested to pay financial assistance from the school fund equivalent to the daily wage for three days of attendance per week without transportation allowance, in the event that they are unable to attend. As for those who are able to attend the school or high school, their full wage shall be calculated as customary. Article Eight: The Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) shall provide a synchronous Q&A Office Hours service on the use of MS Teams and the Madristi platform, as follows: ▪ Daily (except Saturdays, Sundays, and official holidays) starting March 16, 2026, until March 28, 2026, from 14:00 to 16:00 via the following link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/38331582594611?p=MmVPDrBE7emA9HJCj ▪ Tuesdays and Thursdays starting March 31, 2026, until April 16, 2026, from 14:00 to 16:00 via the following link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/34312334679514?p=28l6B3Gyzeuib7NnU1 This service allows participants to ask their questions live to be answered immediately by trainers in order to assist them in addressing the challenges they face. The Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) will distribute the aforementioned links to public school and high school principals so that they can access them. When necessary, the complaints office can be consulted at the following numbers: 01/772888 – or 01/772299. Article Nine: The data entry clerk at the school or high school shall log in to the link: https://nsl.mehe.gov.lb/sis/sims/login.aspx in order to obtain the username and password for the Microsoft accounts for teachers and students created by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Article Ten: Attached to this decree is the guide for the instructional video series for using "Microsoft Teams 2026". Article Eleven: This decree shall be communicated to whomsoever it may concern."