Centre for Educational Research and Development (CRDP)

The centre was created in 1971, and it falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. It works closely with the Ministry of Youth and Sports as well as the Parliamentary Committee for Education, and collaborates with international organizations for funding, consultation and help in execution of some of its projects.

The centre is responsible for conducting research and producing studies regarding pre-university education in Lebanon. In addition, it is in charge of ensuring that school teachers hired by schools have had appropriate training and that they undergo ongoing training to maintain their skills and knowledge and add to them. At the same time, the centre produces regular publications in Arabic (Al-Nashra).

The centre is in charge of updating of the curriculum in Lebanese schools, as well as collaborating with the education department of the national television in order to produce training materials for trainers of teachers, as well as audio visual material to be used by teachers to enhance explanation in the classroom.

Between 1994 and 1996, the CRDP completed the "Restructuring of the Lebanese Educational System" project, which entailed the introduction of basic reforms to the Lebanese curriculum, and which had remained unchanged since 1968. As described by the deputy and chair of the Parliamentary Education Committee Bahia Hariri, in her speech "Women and Education in Lebanon", the major goals behind this project were:

1. Providing modern public schools equipped with the latest technological development.
2. Focusing on the importance of providing a national education.
3. Amending and unifying the educational programs so that they assert the national identity and reflect the equality of males and females in the reconstruction of the nation.
4. Offering equal opportunities for all children to learn and enrol in schools.
5. Educating the children affected by the fighting in Lebanon.
6. Meeting the special needs of the war casualties and rehabilitating the handicapped.

The project was the outcome of joint effort by teachers and specialists from both the private and public sector. The focus while designing the new curriculum was on catering for the needs of children at all levels - psychological, social, educational, cultural, as well as employment (it focuses on issues and subject matter relevant to the modern job market as it is developing under the umbrella of globalisation). Efforts and emphasis were equally put on reinforcing civic education, national loyalty, and respect for human rights without challenging local communities' values. (Sections: Réforme 1994-2001, Projets, in French).

The Centre has recently published a booklet which includes detailed information about technical education in Lebanon for 2000-2001, that includes statistical information about students namely, their distribution by schools/colleges, official degrees, certificates, and sex

The CRDP also publishes an annual statistical review about the Educational system in Lebanon, which includes information on:

1. number of students by age, sex, level of education, etc.;
2. number of teachers by age, sex, occupational status, family status, etc.; and,
3. education institutions and education indicators in Lebanon.