I will never forget his name.
Omar. He was about my age, walking around the street and asking for directions. He stopped me but I didn’t know the place, so I suggested trying it on Google Maps to see if he can find it. Omar looked at me, embarrassed, and told be he couldn’t do that. Why? Not because he didn’t have a phone, he did. Not because it didn’t have power, or connection, it did. But because he didn’t know how to read and write. I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones.
I grew up in a world where education is a given, not a luxury, where graduating is a rite of passage not a privilege, where going to university is the norm, not the exception. I am one of the lucky ones because I never had to question all of this as a child. I never had to think about my life as being anything else than going to school. People like you and me, we forget that some people don’t know how to read, some barely know how to count, some stopped going to school at 12 years old. We take it all for granted. But when reality hits you like that, everything shatters. Today, I remind you of them, of the Omars of the world. We need to act now, today.
In Lebanon, where you live still decides what education you get…
But how can all of this be explained? What influences such disparity? What are the factors at play? These questions needed to be answered to find out the next course of action. The common denominator? The gap between the private and the public sector. It’s where inequality starts brewing.
In the districts where the share of public schools is higher, the percentage of residents with at least a high school degree suffer and both drop-out rates and illiteracy rates grow. As such, the higher the percentage of private schools in the district you live in, the more likely you’ll make it to university. But, private education is expensive and not accessible to everyone, and getting public schools to catch up to the level of private ones takes a lot of time and requires a very big investment. In the meantime, thousands of students are abandoning their studies… We need to bridge the gap, and fast.
Educating about Education in the public sector.
The first step is awareness. We need to educate public students on the importance of continuing their education. If they don’t know why they should go on with their studies, then anything else we try, will fail. Through my NGO, I developed a program that we would like to test-run.
Our program is three-fold:
Highlights the importance of continuing an education and the long term benefits it provides.
Addresses the reasons why public school students typically abandon their studies, suggests solutions and frames education within those issues.
The program will be repeated and updated as students get from elementary to intermediate to secondary to assess new concerns tied to the evolving context in Lebanon, age-related concerns.
To do that, we need the ministry of education’s approval to begin activation within public schools. Ideally, we would like to start with Hermel, which is the biggest problem area, as it is the worst across in all 3 key measures. This ensures at the same time, that we maximize the number of students we’ll be able to help.
Equal access to education should not a child’s naive idea of reality, it should be the norm. I ask you to say yes, not for me, but for all for all the kids out there who won’t get a proper education because they were born in the wrong place. For those who have enormous potential, but will never get to reach it. For those who should have gone on to do great things. For Omar. For all the kids who were born a few kilometers inland.
The Pain Point of Lebanese Students in Rural Areas
Across Lebanon, thousands of students finish high school each year with the hope of continuing their education. But for many, the journey to higher education is shaped by something they cannot control: where they live. While universities play a critical role in expanding economic opportunities, boosting mobility, and stabilizing communities, access to higher education is not equal across regions.
To understand this imbalance more clearly, I mapped the distribution of universities across all Lebanese governorates. The picture that emerges reveals a structural challenge that often goes unnoticed.
A Landscape Centered Around Beirut
The visualization below illustrates how universities are clustered around Beirut and its surrounding districts. Baabda, Zahle, and Matn stand out with the highest shares of institutions, forming a dense academic hub that benefits students living nearby.
These areas offer abundant choices, shorter commutes, and reduced financial burdens — all of which make higher education more accessible and attainable.
Regions Left Behind
However, as we move farther from the center, the educational landscape changes dramatically. A number of northern and southern districts show extremely low—or even zero—shares of universities. Districts like Minieh-Danniyeh, Hermel, Bsharri, and Hasbaya have no universities at all.
For students living in these areas, pursuing higher education often means:
Long daily commutes
Relocation to other districts, which adds significant cost
Or, in many cases, giving up on the idea altogether
This geographic barrier creates a hidden form of inequality. Two students with the same abilities and aspirations may face completely different realities simply because of their district of residence.
Why This Matters
Educational access is more than a convenience — it shapes economic mobility, future job opportunities, and community development. When entire districts lack higher education institutions, the impact extends beyond individual students:
Local economies miss out on the vitality that universities bring
Youth migration toward central districts increases
The development gap between regions widens
These patterns highlight the importance of understanding the current distribution of universities across Lebanon, not to criticize, but to identify areas where investment could have the greatest impact.
Moving Towards More Inclusive Access
The story told by the data is clear: Higher education opportunities remain centralized, leaving many peripheral regions underserved. While Lebanon faces numerous challenges, expanding access to education is one opportunity that can create long-term, positive change.
By recognizing where academic infrastructure is lacking, policymakers, NGOs, and educational institutions can work toward:
Supporting underserved districts
Encouraging balanced regional development
Ensuring that more Lebanese students, regardless of location, can access higher education
Ultimately, the goal is simple: A country where students’ futures are shaped by their talents — not by their distance from Beirut.
Thousands of students in Lebanon are underserved by the concentration of educational opportunities in a small number of governorates. Policymakers must make investments in areas that lack public branches, colleges, and educational resources in order to create a more inclusive future.
1. A Landscape of Uneven Learning Opportunities
Lebanon’s education system has long been viewed as a regional strength but this strength is not evenly distributed. By mapping universities, Lebanese University (LU) branches, and the availability of educational resources across governorates, a clear pattern emerges: a select few governorates enjoy strong coverage, while others have limited or almost no access.
The visualization shows that:
Baabda, Zahle, and Matn dominate in the number of universities.
Meanwhile, areas like Bsharri, Batroun, Hermel, and Hasbaya have only 1 or zero universities.
This imbalance shapes future opportunities. Where a student is born should not determine how far they can go but right now, it often does.
2. Public Higher Education Is Even More Concentrated
Access to affordable education is even more unequal.
Zahle and Matn lead with 5 and 4 LU branches.
Many areas including Tyre, Akkar, Zgharta, Hasbaya, Hermel have one or no branches.
Several governorates have none at all, forcing students to relocate or drop out.
This reinforces a cycle: private universities cluster in the center, while public universities remain scarce outside major cities.
3. The Coverage Index: How Many Citizens Each University Serves?
To measure real accessibility, the coverage index compares each region’s population to the number of universities available.
Here the gap becomes dramatic:
In Baabda and Matn, one university serves fewer than 200,000 people.
In Hermel, Bsharri, and Tripoli, a single university covers more than 300,000 residents.
The message is clear: some regions are overserved, while others are severely underserved.
4. Do Educational Resources Exist Where They’re Needed Most?
When we look at the distribution of educational resources—libraries, cultural centers, labs, and learning facilities another pattern emerges:
Akkar, Baalbek, and Baabda have the highest counts.
Remote districts like Bsharri, Hermel, Batroun, and Marjeyoun have almost none.
This highlights a critical insight: some areas have the right infrastructure but lack universities, while others have universities but no supporting learning ecosystem.
5. What This Means for Lebanon
Lebanon’s most significant educational challenge is not quality but fairness. The maps reveal a structural inequality that affects:
university enrollment
student mobility
long-term employment opportunities
economic development in rural areas
By investing in the regions with the lowest coverage and resource availability, Lebanon can create a more inclusive and productive society.
Call to Action
We recommend a targeted educational investment plan for underserved governorates, focusing on:
Opening new LU branches in areas with zero public presence
Strengthening educational resources where population density is high
Supporting private institutions willing to expand beyond major districts
Digital learning infrastructure for remote areas
Education shouldn’t depend on geography. With intentional planning, it doesn’t have to.
