The Centre for Educational Studies and Research at the Faculty of Education of the Lebanese University held its annual conference, titled “The Future of Educational Research in Lebanon: Challenges and Opportunities,” on Friday, 30 October 2026, at the faculty’s deanship, according to Tayyar.org.
Lebanese University President Bassam Badran sponsored the conference, represented by Faculty of Education Dean Khalil al-Jamal. Hiam Ishaq, head of the Educational Research and Development Centre, attended, along with academic officials, professors and student researchers from the Lebanese University, private universities and educational institutions.
The dean opened his remarks with a minute of silence in memory of Maram Raad, a member of the centre’s academic staff, and students Mohammad Shuqair and Adel Qaddouh, who died in the Israeli aggression on Lebanon last year, according to the website.
The dean said that keeping pace with the new pre-university curricula, prepared by the Educational Research and Development Centre and approved by the government, requires serious preparation for the implementation stage. He explained that this includes training teachers, providing requirements, and monitoring implementation and evaluating results.
He stressed the distinction between technical use and scientific knowledge. He said digital progress does not replace critical thinking and the scientific method. He held that the use of artificial intelligence should take into account academic integrity, privacy and ethical responsibility.
The dean noted that the faculty, founded in 1951, is marking its 75th anniversary, and described it as the nucleus of the university and its parent faculty.
Iman Khalil, the conference coordinator and head of the centre, presented a paper titled “Towards a Participatory Vision for the Future of Educational Research in Lebanon,” drawing on PISA 2025 indicators. She proposed a path that begins with a digital index of Master’s theses and doctoral dissertations and ends with a sustainable research culture.
The conference comprised ten academic sessions, each with four research papers, as well as a forum for Master’s research students, for a total of 60 research contributions. The sessions covered five themes: sustainable learning and education; digital learning and innovation; societal challenges and their impact on education; the state of educational research in Lebanon; and partnerships and capacity building.
Finally, Asia al-Mahtar, a member of the centre’s academic staff, read out the conference recommendations, which she prepared with Randa al-Nabulsi and Paula Abou Tayeh. The recommendations include organising research output and making it available digitally, and strengthening the link between research, practice and policy. They also include developing research capacity and research ethics, expanding research on sustainability, digital transformation and the effects of crises and conflicts on education, and opening continuous dialogue between universities and educational institutions.
One outstanding paper was selected in each session. The paper by Asaad Yamin, a researcher at the Faculty of Education, received the highest rating among the outstanding papers.