'Classes will go on as education is only way forward': Beirut professor who witnessed Wednesday's intense bombings
DEHRADUN: Some of the heaviest Israeli bombing since the latest round of attacks began on March 2 hit Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday, and a professor at the country’s only state-run university told TOI from Beirut that teachers and students had decided to keep education going by shifting classes online despite the growing toll. Lebanese health ministry figures reported at least 203 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries after the strikes, which came after a tentative ceasefire linked to the wider regional crisis but did not halt Israeli operations in Lebanon.
Habib Al-Badawi, professor of international relations and Japanese studies at Lebanese University, said the attacks since last month had damaged educational institutions and forced teaching to move online, much like during the Covid-19 period. Witnessing the intense Wednesday bombings on places including residential buildings in Beirut, he termed the attacks as ‘unpardonable act against civilians’
“Despite these grave challenges, teachers and students have decided to continue teaching and learning by shifting the classes online, because education is the only way to raise our legitimate voices against the wrong. We urge the Arab and international community to immediately intervene to save Lebanon from a bloody chess game,” he told TOI.
Al-Badawi said the war had already taken a heavy toll on Lebanese University and that the losses were both human and institutional. He said the university had so far lost three professors and 17 students in the bombing, while the conflict had also disrupted participation because of infrastructure damage, trauma and unstable internet access. Earlier reporting had already documented the deaths of two senior academics in an Israeli strike linked to the university’s main campus in Beirut.
Explaining the situation at his university, he said that prior to the escalation of hostilities, class sizes at the Lebanese University averaged approximately fifteen students per course.
“Despite the ongoing conflict, a significant proportion of these students have demonstrated resilience by continuing to attend online sessions. However, this numerical continuity should not obscure the qualitative challenges affecting participation, including infrastructural disruptions, psychological strain, and unequal access to stable digital connectivity,” said Al-Badawi.
He further claimed that the disruption is especially severe for postgraduate students, whose academic progress depends heavily on sustained intellectual engagement, originality, and analytical rigor.
“The prevailing environment of insecurity and psychological pressure has significantly constrained their capacity for advanced scholarly work. Unlike structured undergraduate learning, doctoral research requires a level of cognitive stability that is currently unattainable for many. The cumulative effects of interrupted research, limited academic supervision, and broader systemic instability suggest that the repercussions will extend well beyond the cessation of hostilities, potentially reshaping the trajectory of an entire cohort of scholars,” said Al-Badawi.
He also said the impact had gone beyond higher education and had also badly affected schoolchildren, with many public schools being turned into shelters for displaced people and regular classes suspended.
“Beyond the logistical challenges, the social and emotional toll on children is considerable. The absence of physical schooling deprives them not only of formal education but also of essential developmental experiences—peer interaction, structured routines, and safe recreational spaces. In this sense, the conflict is not merely interrupting education; it is eroding critical dimensions of childhood itself,” concluded Al-Badawi while urging the world community to act to stop the attacks before it's too late.
More than 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon in the renewed conflict, and university facilities have also been used to shelter civilians, underlining how deeply the war has cut into daily life.
Habib Al-Badawi, professor of international relations and Japanese studies at Lebanese University, said the attacks since last month had damaged educational institutions and forced teaching to move online, much like during the Covid-19 period. Witnessing the intense Wednesday bombings on places including residential buildings in Beirut, he termed the attacks as ‘unpardonable act against civilians’
“Despite these grave challenges, teachers and students have decided to continue teaching and learning by shifting the classes online, because education is the only way to raise our legitimate voices against the wrong. We urge the Arab and international community to immediately intervene to save Lebanon from a bloody chess game,” he told TOI.
Al-Badawi said the war had already taken a heavy toll on Lebanese University and that the losses were both human and institutional. He said the university had so far lost three professors and 17 students in the bombing, while the conflict had also disrupted participation because of infrastructure damage, trauma and unstable internet access. Earlier reporting had already documented the deaths of two senior academics in an Israeli strike linked to the university’s main campus in Beirut.
“Despite the ongoing conflict, a significant proportion of these students have demonstrated resilience by continuing to attend online sessions. However, this numerical continuity should not obscure the qualitative challenges affecting participation, including infrastructural disruptions, psychological strain, and unequal access to stable digital connectivity,” said Al-Badawi.
He further claimed that the disruption is especially severe for postgraduate students, whose academic progress depends heavily on sustained intellectual engagement, originality, and analytical rigor.
“The prevailing environment of insecurity and psychological pressure has significantly constrained their capacity for advanced scholarly work. Unlike structured undergraduate learning, doctoral research requires a level of cognitive stability that is currently unattainable for many. The cumulative effects of interrupted research, limited academic supervision, and broader systemic instability suggest that the repercussions will extend well beyond the cessation of hostilities, potentially reshaping the trajectory of an entire cohort of scholars,” said Al-Badawi.
He also said the impact had gone beyond higher education and had also badly affected schoolchildren, with many public schools being turned into shelters for displaced people and regular classes suspended.
“Beyond the logistical challenges, the social and emotional toll on children is considerable. The absence of physical schooling deprives them not only of formal education but also of essential developmental experiences—peer interaction, structured routines, and safe recreational spaces. In this sense, the conflict is not merely interrupting education; it is eroding critical dimensions of childhood itself,” concluded Al-Badawi while urging the world community to act to stop the attacks before it's too late.
More than 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon in the renewed conflict, and university facilities have also been used to shelter civilians, underlining how deeply the war has cut into daily life.
Next Story