Financial Deficit in Lebanese Catholic Schools: Lack of Confidence and Declining Purchasing Power

Private Schooling

A considerable number of Catholic schools have been closed for good in Lebanon in the last ten years. Some of them were transformed into rest homes for elderly, others into parking lots, etc. The apparent reasons behind this closing are financial and numeric: On one hand, a notable financial deficit was accumulated through the years, which made quasi impossible that these schools continue to exist. On the other hand, this financial deficit appeared to be accompanied by a real drop in enrollment numbers of pupils in these schools, especially Christian pupils. That led Catholic schools’ directions to decide that it was either irrational or impossible to stay “in business”. It was irrational because the majority of their pupils were no longer Christians, which contradicts the main reasons of the establishment of Catholic schools in Lebanon: religious and human formation of the people (Nakad, 2011). In addition, it was impossible because the financial deficit reached a level where the schools needed “a miracle” to stay open. Being non-profit organizations, Catholic schools don’t generally aim to gain, but they don’t have to lose money, or else they won’t be able to sustain their educational mission.

Hence, this study aims to investigate the real reason behind this financial deficit of Catholic schools in Lebanon. This paper will try to focus on two principal reasons that might be causing the described financial problem. We shall first study the effect of declining household purchasing power of Lebanese families. Then, this work will be focusing on the parental confidence in Catholic schools’ educational system and in its primary mission.