Kataeb MP Salim Sayegh sharply criticized Lebanon's decision to cancel this year's official state examinations, describing the move as "educational heresy" and warning that it risks undermining academic standards and devaluing the country's school certification system.

Speaking on Voice of Lebanon and VDL24 television, Sayegh said legal challenges to the decision would now serve little purpose, given that the new academic year is approaching and university entrance examinations are already underway.

"The timing is no longer conducive," he said, arguing that the decision has effectively "placed all students on the same level of failure and poor educational standards."

Sayegh placed primary responsibility on the members of parliament who voted in favor of canceling the examinations, saying the decision had effectively established a precedent whereby students could receive school completion certificates without any consideration of their academic performance. Under the new system, he said, enrollment in a school alone—even without attending classes—had effectively become sufficient to obtain certification.

He predicted that the decision would trigger widespread calls next year for the reinstatement of the official examinations for students who received school completion certificates, drawing a parallel with demands that emerged following similar measures in 1979.

Sayegh said he had proposed making the official examinations optional this year rather than canceling them altogether, but that suggestion was ultimately rejected.

He defended the credibility of Lebanon's official secondary school certificate, noting that the country's pass rate typically stands at around 90%, compared with approximately 96% in France.

According to Sayegh, the official examinations are not merely designed to assess students' academic performance but also serve as an important incentive, allowing students to evaluate their true abilities and competencies before entering university and later competing in the labor market.

He also stressed that decisions regarding the official examinations are educational matters that fall under the authority of the Ministry of Education, the executive branch and the government, rather than Parliament.

Sayegh said the parliamentary Education Committee had been divided between lawmakers advocating the abolition of the official Lebanese baccalaureate examinations and those insisting they be maintained.

The committee eventually agreed to recommend issuing school completion certificates based on students' academic performance during the school year.

Sayegh said he had previously proposed a compromise under which students who successfully completed their school year would automatically receive a completion certificate based on their grades, while the official Lebanese baccalaureate would become optional for those wishing to take it, similar to the International Baccalaureate or the French Baccalauréat.

Under his proposal, students would graduate with a school completion certificate while retaining the option of sitting for the Lebanese baccalaureate to obtain an additional nationally recognized qualification.

He said the proposal had received broad support within the parliamentary Education Committee as well as from the education minister. However, the government ultimately rejected the idea, opting instead to grant completion certificates to students who passed their school year while restricting the official baccalaureate examination to a limited category of candidates.