Beirut Blast Impact Updates
Public Schools
Assessment of physical damages to public schools has been completed. In total, 90 public schools are damaged with different levels of damage. Assessment of the damage on school equipment and furniture, including school laboratory items, is ongoing. Data has been collected from all impacted public schools, while analysis and costing are being finalized.
Private Schools
The MEHE Beirut Blast Committee is collecting needs assessment reports undertaken by private schools. So far, 73 private schools have reported damages. The estimated cost for rehabilitation is USD 15M, excluding equipment and furniture. UN-Habitat assessment of private schools is ongoing and will include costing updates.
Public TVET Schools and Institutes
The rapid assessment of the Directorate of TVET reveals that 5 campuses and 20 buildings have been affected by the Beirut blasts. The assessment estimates USD 1.5M cost for rehabilitation, excluding equipment and furniture. UNICEF is currently undertaking a thorough assessment of all affected facilities.
Higher Education
Twenty buildings in the Lebanese University have been affected by the blasts and will require rehabilitation, which is estimated at USD 1M. These funding requirements have been secured by UNESCO. MEHE has received initial assessment reports from different private universities, Assessment of private universities will be a lengthier process, given the large size of campuses.
Response
- The MEHE BEIRUT BLAST COMMITTEE is meeting regularly to follow up on school rehabilitation process, including finalizing the ongoing assessments. MEHE engineers have undertaken visits to each and every damaged school to confirm and document the damages.
- As part of the coordination of school rehabilitation, UNESCO is mapping partner support, mobilizing funding for implementation of school rehabilitation, and producing progress reports and factsheets.
- Needs assessment are ongoing, including MEHE assessment of damages to school equipment, furniture and labs; UN-Habitat assessment of private schools; and UNICEF assessment of TVET facilities. All assessments are expected to be finalized the week of September 21st .
- The timeline for rehabilitation for lightly and moderately damaged schools is October 2020, while severely damaged schools will be rehabilitated by February 2021.
- Under the UN flash appeal, 18 education projects have been submitted by 16 partner organizations, with a total appeal of USD 22.4M. To date, no funding has been received for Education.
Funding Update for Building Rehabilitation
Schools |
Updated Estimates |
Available Funds |
Gap |
90 Public Schools |
5, 189, 000 Million |
100% |
0% |
73 Private Schools |
15 Million |
49% |
51% |
20 TVET Schools 20 LU Buildings |
1.5 Million 1 Million |
80% 100% |
20% 100% |
| Funding Sources - Public Schools | |||
| SADC | 1,785,000.00 | ||
| UNESCO / Education Above All | 3,078,000.00 | ||
UNESCO / Education Cannot Wait UNICEF Total |
171,000.00 155,000.00 5,189,000.00 |
| Funding Sources - TVET Schools | |||
| NESCO / Education Above All | 1,200,000.00 | ||
| Total | 1,200,000.00 | ||
| Funding Sources - Private Schools | |||
| France | 7,000,000.00 | ||
| UNESCO / Education Cannot Wait | 350,000.00 | ||
Total |
7,350,000.00 |
Funding Update for Furniture and Equipment
Schools |
Updated Estimates |
Available Funds |
Gap |
91 Public Schools |
TBD |
- |
100% |
73 Private Schools |
TBD |
- |
100% |
20 TVET Schools |
TBD |
- |
100% |
Response Priorities
The current priorities identified by MEHE are:
- Finalizing ongoing needs assessments
- Securing funding for rehabilitation of private schools (around USD 7.5M)
- Securing funds for refurnishing classrooms and schools with needed equipment and furniture, for all sectors
- Completing rehabilitation of 30% of damaged schools by mid-October
- Ensuring devices and connectivity to support remote learning
- Transferring students from severely affected schools to others that are operating
Beirut Blast
At least USD 22.5 million are required to respond to the education needs resulting from the tragic Beirut Port explosions, which fatally hit Beirut on 4 August, 2020, killing over 200 people, and injuring over 6500, including children and young people. Moreover, an estimated 300,000 people are left homeless and many families are living in poor conditions after having their homes destroyed. The Beirut Blasts, compounded by the current COVID-19 outbreak and economic crisis, have created an urgent need for continued support and assistance.
