The Minister of Education and Higher Education in the caretaker government, Judge Abbas Halabi, emphasized the significance of the “School With No Walls” SNOW program, describing it as a crucial environmental initiative. He stressed the necessity of integrating schools into their natural surroundings, affirming that there should be no barriers preventing interaction between the school environment, its natural surroundings, and its students. He added, “If we do not instill in students a love for nature and a sense of belonging to it, nature will pay a high price in the future due to their neglect.”
Meeting with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon
Halabi’s remarks came during a meeting with a delegation from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL), which included its General Director, Assad Serhal, the Director of the “School With No Walls” SNOW program, André Bechara, the Editor-in-Chief of “Al-Hima” magazine, Raghida Haddad, the President of the Lebanese Environment Forum (LEF), Malek Ghandour, and the Founder of the Al Matn Organization for Environment and Sustainable Development (MESD), Rafic Makarem, Project Manager of “Doroub Al-Hima,” Hamada Molaeb, and member of the Lebanese Environment Forum (LEF), Brigadier General Hassan Bshroush.
Significant Success of the Program
During the meeting, Serhal explained that the “School With No Walls” SNOW program is an innovative and creative project that has so far engaged over 1,143 students in 47 workshops across 16 schools and municipalities in various Lebanese regions, including Hammana, Kherbet Qanfar, Mansoura, Ras El Metn, Mansouri, and Ibl El-Saqi. He pointed out that the workshops focused on key environmental issues such as biodiversity conservation, the importance of water, bird migration, sustainable hunting, climate change, and pollinator protection. The content provided helped raise environmental awareness among participants and enabled them to develop actionable strategies for environmental preservation.
“If we do not instill in students a love for nature and a sense of belonging to it, nature will pay a high price in the future due to their neglect.” The Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education, Judge Abbas Halabi
Expanding the Program into Schools
For his part, Bechara highlighted that the “School With No Walls” SNOW program has successfully worked with school students under challenging conditions across different Lebanese regions, thanks to funding from the European Union through the BioConnect project. He added that the program has evolved to include in-school activities, with memorandums of understanding signed with several educational institutions, such as Al-Manar School – Ras El Metn. The aim is to train educators on implementing the program within schools, whether through classroom activities or extracurricular projects, both indoors and in nature.
A Message of Support and Appreciation
Minister Abbas Halabi presented a letter of support for the project, urging all educational institutions, community organizations, and stakeholders to support and collaborate with it to raise a generation that understands the importance of preserving Lebanon’s natural heritage and works towards its conservation.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) presented a commemorative shield to Minister Halabi in recognition of his continuous cooperation and commitment to strengthening environmental education and integrating it into school activities, particularly through the “School With No Walls” program. In turn, Ghandour presented a commemorative shield on behalf of the “Green Blue” project for natural resource rehabilitation to mitigate climate change. The project, implemented by the Lebanese Environment Forum, aims to achieve the “30×30” goal, which includes a comprehensive plan to protect at least 30% of land and 30% of the ocean globally by 2030.
