The Lebanese Brevet Professionnel: resurgence of a lower secondary vocational track

Abstract

The Lebanese Brevet Professionnel (BP) is an occupationally‐specific vocational qualification at lower secondary level. Despite being on the margins of Lebanese education, the BP has been showing signs of a resurgence over the past few years. This paper discusses the structure and role of the BP in the context of the Lebanese education system and presents the results of a survey of BP students. The BP appears to fulfil important functions for socio‐economically identifiable sections of Lebanese society both through the direct connection which it forges with the employment market and through its bridging function to Baccalauréat‐level technical–vocational programmes. The study is discussed in the context of the challenges facing MENA (Middle East and North Africa) educational development.

Keywords:

• MENA
• Lebanon
• Brevet Professionnel
• lower secondary

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the following people and institutions for their cooperation in this study: Mr Antoine Rached, Direction Générale de l’Enseignement Technique et Professionnel, Dekouane; Mr Bassem Riad Al‐Masri, Byblos Institute (Aley); Mrs Joumana Abou Jaoude and Mrs Samira Rahmeh, Centre Technique Saint Basil; Mr Emil Saliba and Mr Fawzi Abdallah, Hammana Public School; Mr Radwan Tohmeh, Makassed School of Nursing; Mr Ahmad Aouad, Rawdat Al‐Zeitoun.

Notes

1. The certificate which successful students are awarded is called the Al‐Tacmiliyya Al‐Mihaniyya, which may be translated as ‘Intermediate Vocational Certificate’. Lebanese educational qualifications continue to be universally referred to by their French titles.