Faculty interviewed described emotional support as a vital lifeline, infused with empathy, collegial bonds, and a collective sense of civic responsibility. Despite facing tremendous external stressors — such as the economic fallout from Lebanon’s revolution and widespread societal upheaval — faculty expressed that compassion and kindness from students, colleagues, and family have been indispensable. One participant poignantly observed that when students exhibit care, educators find renewed motivation and determination to persist in their roles. This emotional reciprocity not only alleviates stress but also fosters a nurturing academic environment vital to both teachers and learners.

However, the emotional support from institutional leadership was notably lacking. Participants frequently framed their relationship with university administrators as fraught with disappointment and detachment. While recognizing the complexity of Lebanon’s broader political and economic crises, faculty felt that administrators largely abdicated responsibility for offering meaningful emotional backing. Many described a toxic working atmosphere exacerbated by micromanagement, passive-aggressive behaviors, and an alarming absence of empathy or clear communication from those in charge. These deficits eroded faculty morale and, in some cases, led to feelings of disillusionment and workplace burnout.

Integral to coping with the crisis was the faculty’s call for robust informational support, especially transparent communication and practical guidance tailored to the realities of teaching under duress. Several professors emphasized their lack of preparedness for prolonged instability, noting that traditional training had not equipped them to manage sudden power outages or internet disruptions, frequent occurrences since the economic collapse. The absence of well-structured, accessible resources, such as comprehensive manuals or stress management workshops, was acutely felt. They underscored that detailed, honest communication from administrators about institutional strategies was critical to restoring faculty confidence and providing a roadmap through uncertainty.

Alarmingly, many faculty members cited a perceived secrecy surrounding administration’s plans for the university’s future, with rumors of potential relocation abroad circulating but not openly addressed. This opacity deepened feelings of insecurity and anxiety, engendering a climate of mistrust and speculation. Experts point out that in crisis contexts, transparent governance and shared decision-making can be a lifeline, reducing the mental strain on educators and fostering a more collaborative institutional culture. Yet here, the absence of inclusivity in planning processes rendered faculty peripheral observers of their own professional fate.

The tangible realities of the crisis manifested most acutely in the arena of instrumental support—material and financial resources essential for the core work of teaching. Lebanese faculty reported severe constraints on salaries, access to reliable internet, power, and technological tools. Despite witnessing indications that universities had financial reserves, professors felt these resources remained irrationally hoarded or misallocated, intensifying economic hardship. Calls for contingency budgeting and strategic deployment of funds towards instructional necessities reflected a pragmatism bred of crisis management rather than luxury. Faculty also stressed that tuition hikes were an untenable solution given students’ concurrent financial struggles, advocating for creative alternatives such as university-provided transportation and housing to reduce commuting costs and increase campus safety amid ongoing civil unrest.

The debate around compensation was particularly poignant, as inflation and currency devaluation rendered academic salaries insufficient for basic living needs. Many faculty members conveyed a profound sense of precariousness, relying on external remittances or additional family support to survive. The broader economic collapse magnified disparities within the academic community, prompting urgent appeals for salary adjustments and expanded benefits. Experts in higher education economics highlight that sustained salary erosion not only threatens individual welfare but also risks destabilizing academic institutions by prompting faculty attrition and lowering morale.

Parallel to financial support, appraisal support—or formal feedback and mentoring—was identified as a critical missing ingredient in sustaining faculty performance during this tumultuous period. Participants lamented the near-complete absence of evaluative input from supervisors, with their only significant feedback channels being end-of-semester student evaluations. While student feedback was highly valued as immediate and practical, faculty voiced a collective yearning for professional coaching and mentoring to enhance their instructional methods and feel supported amid the extraordinary demands imposed by crisis conditions. Without such guidance, participants feared stagnation and demoralization.

The lack of institutional feedback mechanisms also reflected a broader organizational oversight, where administrative attention was preoccupied with overarching existential concerns. Faculty felt their professional development needs were sidelined, despite the evidence that thoughtful appraisal can buffer against burnout, enhance job satisfaction, and improve educational outcomes. The study’s findings highlight that academic leadership must strive to balance crisis management with ongoing faculty support systems, lest instructional quality and educator wellbeing suffer in tandem.

An overarching theme permeating faculty narratives was a sense of hope intertwined with despair, suggesting a complex emotional landscape. Despite describing Lebanon as a “failed state” on the brink of collapse, many educators expressed a resilient belief in their country’s eventual recovery. This optimism provided a source of empowerment, encouraging continued commitment to their noble mission of transforming students’ lives and contributing to societal renewal. Their dedication, even in the face of profound adversity, underscores the deep interconnection between personal, professional, and national identity in Lebanese higher education.

This case study also foregrounds the significant socio-political context within which Lebanese faculty operate, including frequent protests escalating into armed clashes that jeopardize physical safety and disrupt educational continuity. The imperative for safe commuting and secure campus environments cannot be overstated. Faculty perceptions of insecurity not only heighten stress but directly impact attendance, performance, and institutional stability. The insights offered suggest that universities must prioritize risk mitigation strategies and transparent communication about security conditions as integral components of faculty support amid ongoing unrest.

In synthesizing these various strands, the research paints a nuanced portrait of faculty social support needs during crisis: emotional nurturance from immediate relationships; strategic informational clarity and practical resource allocation from institutional leadership; financial support that reflects inflationary realities; and appraisal mechanisms that sustain professional growth. Each facet interlocks with the others, collectively shaping faculty capacity to maintain instructional quality and personal resilience in an environment marked by uncertainty and hardship.

The study’s implications extend beyond Lebanon, offering valuable lessons for higher education institutions tackling crises worldwide—whether economic, political, environmental, or health-related. It urges academic leaders to consider holistic social support frameworks that attend to emotional, informational, instrumental, and appraisal needs simultaneously. Providing comprehensive and transparent support systems is not merely benevolent; it is a strategic imperative that determines institutional survivability, faculty retention, and student success in times of compounded crises.

Experts in organizational behavior emphasize that fostering a culture of empathy, open communication, and shared governance can act as a protective buffer during shocks, enhancing organizational agility and commitment. Lebanese faculty testimonies reinforce this view, showing that crises magnify vulnerabilities not simply in financial or logistical terms but in relational and governance domains as well. Thus, universities must innovate—both in resource management and in cultivating trust—to sustain their academic missions through turbulent periods.

Technological adaptations feature prominently in faculty recommendations, signaling an urgent need for crisis-specific training and resource management pertaining to digital tools. The persistent challenge of internet and power outages calls for developing robust, flexible instructional modalities and infrastructure investment sensitive to local constraints. Moreover, integrating faculty experiences into training materials and stress management guidance would tailor interventions more appropriately, enhancing practical efficacy and morale.

Fundamentally, the study advocates shifting from a reactive posture—characterized by ad hoc crisis response—to a proactive model that embeds social support as a constant institutional priority. Doing so requires rethinking budget allocations, institutional communications, and leadership engagement strategies under the prism of resilience and inclusivity. Universities facing prolonged crisis contexts must see their faculty not only as transmitters of knowledge but as partners in institutional sustainability whose wellbeing directly influences educational quality and national progression.

The testimonies revealed in this research bring to light the profound human dimensions of educational work under crisis conditions. This human-centered perspective elevates faculty voices from mere statistics to lived experience, urging policymakers, administrators, and international stakeholders to take concerted action. Supportive environments that honor faculty contributions and address their multifaceted needs are indispensable for ensuring that higher education remains a beacon of hope, progress, and empowerment amid Lebanon’s ongoing challenges.

In conclusion, this compelling case study offers a blueprint for understanding and addressing faculty social support needs amid crisis. By integrating emotional empathy, transparent information dissemination, pragmatic resource allocation, and meaningful evaluative feedback, academic institutions can foster resilience that sustains faculty through volatile environments. As Lebanon’s higher education sector navigates these turbulent waters, the lessons learned resonate globally, illuminating pathways to safeguard educators’ wellbeing and sustain the transformative power of teaching in the face of adversity.

Subject of Research: Faculty social support needs during crisis in Lebanese higher education

Article Title: Faculty social support needs amid crisis: A case study from Lebanese higher education

Article References:
Karkouti, I.M., Wolsey, T.D. & Bekele, T.A. Faculty social support needs amid crisis: A case study from Lebanese higher education.
Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 1556 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-06003-3

Image Credits: AI Generated

Over the past several years, Lebanon’s sectarian-based power-sharing government has exhibited a persistent inability to invest adequately in public education infrastructures. This political model has fostered a governance paralysis where addressing fundamental social services, including education, is deprioritized. Consequently, public schools have suffered from chronic underfunding, dilapidated facilities, and overstretched staff. As resources dwindle and quality deteriorates, families across all social strata find traditional schooling increasingly inadequate, thereby fueling a burgeoning demand for shadow education as a compensatory solution.

Shadow education, comprised primarily of private tutoring sessions often offered by underpaid public school teachers themselves, has rapidly become a parallel educational system. This informal sector remains unregulated, lacking official oversight or standardized curriculum frameworks, yet it plays a critical role in maintaining students’ academic progress amidst understaffed and under-resourced schools. The economic hardships plaguing the country have pushed educators to accept private tutoring roles to supplement their stagnant incomes, often compromising their formal duties, which further exacerbates equity gaps within the learning environment.

Interviews conducted with parents by researchers from the University of Exeter reveal the persistent challenges faced by Lebanese families during the protracted national crises between 2020 and 2021. Despite economic downturns, inflation, and escalating poverty levels, these parents felt an inescapable pressure to invest scarce resources into shadow education. Their motivation is twofold: to recover lost learning due to unstable schooling conditions and to secure their children’s prospects in an education system increasingly dominated by competitive grades and academic achievements, perceived as gateways to university access and future socioeconomic mobility.

Significantly, the study outlines the concept of “parental hysteresis,” describing how parents cling to prior educational values and expectations despite radically altered circumstances. Against the backdrop of a collapsing economy and diminishing household budgets, many parents continue to prioritize private tutoring, believing it indispensable for preserving their children’s academic trajectories. This persistence, fueled by deep-seated fears of social decline and loss of status, ironically perpetuates a cycle of dependency on unregulated education, which itself is riddled with disparities and inconsistencies.

Lebanon’s education sector starkly illustrates the systemic consequences of political neglect. Teachers, often appointed as political appointees rather than on meritocratic grounds, face inadequate remuneration primarily paid in rapidly devaluing Lebanese pounds. Public educational vouchers provided by the government fail to keep pace with soaring tuition fees in the private sector, rendering many formal private education options unaffordable. This economic squeeze has forced numerous private institutions to downscale operations, embrace low-cost but ineffective online learning modalities like WhatsApp voice lessons, or shutter completely, leading to mass teacher layoffs and further instability in educational provision.

The migration of students from private to public schools amidst the crisis has overwhelmed an already struggling public system. Parents express frustration with remote learning protocols, which frequently involve rudimentary methods such as audio messages on social media platforms that offer minimal pedagogical value. This inadequate engagement not only hampers students’ academic progress but also places significant psychological pressures on families who must secure supplementary private tutoring to fill widening educational gaps.

Moreover, the study spotlights how these educational inequalities reproduce broader social stratifications within Lebanese society. The highly privatized education landscape disproportionately benefits a narrow cohort of financially privileged families who maintain access to high-quality schooling and shadow education networks. In contrast, disadvantaged families face compounded barriers and rising costs, restricting their children’s opportunities and perpetuating a cycle of educational disadvantage that threatens social cohesion and upward mobility.

Experts emphasize that this entrenched disparity undermines the teaching profession itself, as the divergence between public and private educational sectors erodes professional standards and morale. Public school teachers, caught between insufficient support and the necessity to provide private tutoring, often find themselves stretched thin, negatively impacting instructional quality and contributing to widespread educational malaise. The resulting environment further diminishes confidence in the public education system, driving increased privatization and fragmenting national education policy initiatives.

Despite these critical challenges, there is cautious optimism regarding the future trajectory of Lebanon’s educational system. National reform plans highlight intentions to revitalize and strengthen public education, with particular emphasis on improving teacher salaries, enhancing institutional resources, and reinforcing governance frameworks. While these initiatives face formidable obstacles amid ongoing political and economic instability, they offer a potential roadmap toward redressing inequities and rebuilding a resilient education infrastructure capable of serving all Lebanese children.

The Lebanese case vividly exemplifies how educational crises intersect with broader sociopolitical and economic dynamics, revealing the intricate feedback loops between governance, socioeconomic status, and academic outcomes. The increasing reliance on shadow education reflects not merely a stopgap measure but a symptom of structural deficiencies in national policy and resource allocation. Without substantial reforms and renewed political will, Lebanon’s education crisis risks ossifying existing disparities and perpetuating intergenerational cycles of deprivation.

In conclusion, the predicament faced by Lebanese educators, families, and students underscores an urgent need for comprehensive, inclusive, and adequately funded public education policies. Such policies must prioritize equity, bolster teacher support, and adapt innovative educational methods responsive to crisis contexts. The entrenchment of shadow education as a parallel system, while providing immediate relief, could ultimately entrench social inequalities unless embedded within a coherent national strategy aimed at sustainable educational development. Lebanon’s experience offers a cautionary tale with significant implications for other nations facing intersecting crises that impact education systems globally.

Subject of Research: People
Article Title: Parental hysteresis and shadow education in times of crises in Lebanon: a fast train fuelled by grades and academic achievements
News Publication Date: 27-Feb-2025
Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2025.2471315
References: Tamara Al Khalili and Salah Troudi, University of Exeter
Image Credits: Not provided

Keywords: Children, Online education, Education administration, Teaching, Education economics, Social studies of science, Sociopolitical systems, Inequalities, Education research, Social inequality, Socioeconomics