BEIRUT: The education minister is promising to make use of his academic background to tackle the shortcomings of the country’s education system and has requested to be left out of any political bickering.

“As a technocrat and a man of knowledge, I plan to improve the educational sector by boosting the standards of public education and laying down a framework to organize higher education,” said Education Minister Hassan Diab in an interview with The Daily Star at the Education Ministry Tuesday.

“I hope that they [political groups] will spare me from political bickering which serves neither our work at the ministry nor the country,” Diab added.

Diab, an electrical engineering professor at the American University of Beirut, holds a doctorate in computer engineering. He has served at AUB as vice president for Regional External Programs since October 2006.

Though he asked to stay on the political sideline, the minister sounded hopeful that Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s Cabinet would be productive, describing it as “harmonious, to a large extent.”

“I do not think that mere educational matters … will present any obstacle for the Cabinet.”

Three days after assuming his post, Diab noted that he would need at least six weeks to study the “thorny dossiers” of the ministry.

“You know that [today’s] Education Ministry was three ministries before 2000 … I am handling the work of three ministries and I need the required time to study them,” he said. Prior to 2000, there were ministries devoted to higher and vocation education.

Touching on the broad outline of his strategy, Diab said he would continue the five-year plan that former Education Minister Hasan Mneimneh had undertaken to improve public education in the country.

“Our goal is to improve the standards in public education. The number of students joining public schools has unfortunately been declining in recent years,” Diab said.

“We want to change this fact, train teachers to use modern teaching methods, which will require knowledge of information technology, improve curriculum and establish a student information system,” he added.

Lebanon has around 1,600 public schools and roughly one million students at public and private schools and universities. The Education Ministry has 40,000 employees.

Diab promised to work to increase financial support for education projects from the United States Agency for International Development, the World Bank, the European Union and other international organizations.

Ministry vacancies and long standing demands of part-time teachers for full-time employment are also on Diab’s agenda.

“All these matters are important, but we have to identify priorities because we have certain potential,” he said, adding that he would prepare a list of all problems confronting the system and identify priorities.

Diab said that drafting laws only was not enough. “We need to lay down the framework for proper implementation.”

He highlighted the need to address problems in existing public schools before considering the construction of new ones.

“We have some public schools that are in a difficult situation, especially those in remote areas. In line with balanced development, we should address their pressing needs for infrastructure, teachers, computerization and [science] labs equipment,” he said. “Our aim is to have model public schools.”

Asked whether it was time to introduce a new curriculum, Diab lamented “a terrible level of vacancy” in the Center for Educational Research and Development, which he said affected its ability to do research on a new curriculum.

“But we are conducting several studies with the assistance of programs of international organizations … but again, we have to focus on priorities,” he said.

As for the long-awaited demand for a unified history curriculum, Diab said that this was one of his priorities. “It is unacceptable that we do not have a unified history book.”

History is a highly controversial subject in Lebanon, and the country still lacks a unified history curriculum 21 years after the end of the 1975-1990 Civil War.

Diab said he was not a “bionic man” but added that there was a plan to form a committee which would lay down a unified history curriculum.

“We will try to deal with the matter with the utmost optimism by building on the points on which we all agree … we can reach such a goal with the support of all sides,” Diab said.

Asked how he would approach the thorny issue of the Lebanese University, Diab called the situation at the institution “exceptional and without precedent.” The terms of the LU president and all deans have expired, and the appointments of new ones are awaiting Cabinet decisions.

“It is one of my priorities and definitely requires a solution. But I am studying the matter to determine all its aspects … We need to look for the suitable solution,” he said.

Asked whether he would manage handling his ministerial and academic posts, Diab said he hadn’t made a final decision. “Many former ministers worked at universities at the same time … I am still considering the situation.”