The Key Solution to the Development Problems in Lebanon

Thesis Statement

Investment in scientific research and improved education curriculum are the key solutions to the development problems in Lebanon.

Summary

The name Lebanon comes from a Semitic word “Laban” meaning white (Sheehan & Latif, 2008). The reason is that there are many snowcapped mountains in the country. Lebanon was formerly a part of Syria before its secession (Ziser, 2000). Lebanon is known for its sophistication in culture, trade, and many conflicts. However, it is a very influential country in the world.

Abouzaki in her article “A Braindead Country Called Lebanon”, says that the Lebanese think they are the masters of science, civilization, and progress, but the real sense is that most of its citizens are ignorant of the country’s characteristics and realities both locally and internationally. The country has not been able to create many professionals in scientific fields, and even the few she has produced are taken away by other countries in the world (Abouzaki, 2012). Therefore, they only boast of their talents in the diaspora. In addition, their educational curricula discourage all creative elements, and this ignores a fundamental principle of the development of people and country as a whole.

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Rania Bou Kheir, who is a Lebanese University graduate, says that research is a very effective way to solve the challenges in Lebanon (Abouzaki, 2012). However, the country does not invest sufficient amount of money in the research, which is only 0.2 percent of its GDP. She further states that very few institutions (governmental and non-governmental) conduct research projects useful for solving Lebanese problems. But the discouraging part is that many research projects conducted by Arts and Humanity students are never published. Nevertheless, there are many researches in useful economic sectors with an aim to improve them. For example, 81 percent of all researches conducted by the universities and research centers are in physics, while health sciences reach 14 percent, and social sciences produce a mere 5 percent (Abouzaki, 2012).

Conclusion

It is a noticeable trend in most Arabic countries that they do not put enough effort in the development of the minds of its people. Lebanon has the ability to produce great scientists who are able to conduct research and improve the situation in Lebanon. They should, therefore, invest more money in research and prevent their scientist from leaving for other countries.