Committee

For a long time, Lebanon has had an Equivalence Committee that has always played a role in developing a national framework for equivalency recognized by the Lebanese Government as the only reference for getting recognition of certificates and the equivalency for education levels in various domains (general education, higher education, and technical and vocational education.)

The Equivalence Committee in Lebanon was formed by Ministerial Decree N⁰ 9355 issued in 1962.

In 1997, another Ministerial Decree was issued, which ordered formulation of two separate committees for equivalence. The first committee was given the task of working on equivalency in pre-university general education classes while the second committee would work on equivalency in higher education.

Why the Equivalence Committee?

Due to the following:

• The academic mobility in Lebanon for security, economic, and cultural reasons;
• The huge number of non-Lebanese who chose Lebanon to continue their studies at all levels;
• The existence of two educational sectors: private and public; vocational and academic;
• Diversity of educational systems used and officially recognized in Lebanon which are: the U.S. educational system, the French educational system, and the International Baccalaureate system;
• The increasing number of private universities in Lebanon.
• Respect the freedom of education (private schools).
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The Role of the Committee

The Equivalence Committee for pre-university education is responsible for:

• Evaluating the different educational systems and  diplomas according to the Lebanese system (number of years of study, number of credits, academic and cultural content);
• Recognition of complete or partial studies carried out by diploma holders of foreign qualifications;
• Evaluating studies, in order to deliver a total or partial equivalence that would enable the student in question to be given access to further education, or to join the job market;
• Clarifying bridges between vocational and academic education;
• Granting permission to foreigners and Lebanese who live in or outside Lebanon, to pursue their studies in public or private schools in Lebanon, according to one of the educational systems which are officially recognized in Lebanon, or to apply to institutions of higher education (Lebanese University or private institutions and universities).
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The work of the Committee:

 Evaluation of Educational Systems:

The Committee bases its assessment on a comparative study between the Lebanese education system and:

• Programs published by the competent authorities in countries concerned with the equivalence; concerned ministries (education and higher education) and educational organizations.
• Reaching out to cultural centers in concerned countries; and institutions responsible for implementing or adopting these systems.
• The UNESCO documents
• Legal texts
• Cultural agreements and protocols
• Local and foreign universities’ programs

Take decisions on Equivalencies:

1 - General Decisions

    The Committee takes general decisions regarding educational certificates and apprenticeships in Arab and foreign countries.

    These decisions are ratified by the Minister of Education and Higher Education and are published in the Official Gazette.

    The equivalence is given to all holders of such diplomas and apprenticeships.

2 - Decisions on “Nominative Equivalence” or Recognition of studies and granting equivalence.

The committee reviews the file:

• At the legal level: compliance with legal texts: laws, ministerial decrees, special decisions, and institutions that are officially recognized;
• At the academic level: Based on the Lebanese educational system or the foreign educational system to enable it to do the following:
  • Give an equivalence to the complete studies
  • Give a partial or conditional equivalence
  • Ask those concerned to provide additional documents that would allow them to obtain equivalence at a later date.
  • Accept the transfer of credits from one university to another.
  • Refrain from giving equivalence: In this case, the applicant accepts the decision as is, or appeals it before the committee. In case of dispute, the matter can be referred to the Lebanese Cabinet for a decision.
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3-Vocational Studies

The Committee works through some decisions to ensure the following:

• Specify parity between vocational education and other forms of education
• Specify bridges between vocational and academic education in order to enable the student in question to apply to higher academic education.​