Redefining Localisation: Bridging Research and Practice to Address Inequities in Lebanon’s Education System

The Centre for Lebanese Studies 

The Centre for Lebanese Studies (CLS) is an independent academic institution established in 1984 to undertake impartial and balanced research and contribute to Lebanon’s development. CLS is affiliated with the Faculty of History at the University of Cambridge and works rigorously in conducting research and organising conferences that address key issues in Lebanon. In 2012, CLS opened an office in Lebanon. CLS has a presence in Beirut and Cambridge, and while it undertakes research in various countries around the world, it focuses on Lebanon, Jordan and the UK. Its research focuses on four main pillars, including education, migration, disability, and social movements. CLS is a registered charity in the UK under registration number 298375 and in Lebanon under 1243 with the legal entity’s name ‘Education Development Center in Lebanon’. The Centre for Lebanese Studies is directed by Professor Maha Shuayb and Professor Cathrine Brun.  

Jusoor NGO  

Jusoor, which means ‘bridges’ in Arabic, is an international NGO with the mission of ‘Maximising the potential of Syrian youth through education’. Founded in 2011 by Syrian Diaspora in the private sector, Jusoor is a unique model of humanitarian intervention known for its innovative approach, dynamic and continuously improving programs, high-velocity execution, and the strength of its global partnerships. We believe in lean impact and hold ourselves accountable for being nimble and responsive to the realities of Syrian children and youth on the ground and in the diaspora. Jusoor is a non-political, non-religious organisation and is globally registered as a US 501c3 in the US, and a charitable organisation in Canada, the United Kingdom, Jordan and Lebanon.  

Contractual Teachers’ League in Lebanese Primary Public Schools (CTLP) 

The Contractual Teachers’ League in Lebanese Primary Public Schools (CTLP), founded and chaired by Dr. Nisrine Chahine, is the first independent union in Lebanon’s public education sector. Established in 2018, it obtained its official license (Registration No. 1127) and was formally launched in 2024 to represent contractual teachers, who constitute 80% of the primary public education workforce, and to advocate for their rights. The League secured its official license after more than eight years of union struggle under the name ‘The Active Committee’ during which it organized dozens of sit-ins and demonstrations involving thousands of contractual teachers. These efforts aimed to secure job stability, such as improved wages, health insurance, and transportation allowances, and to safeguard the role of teachers and the public school system in Lebanon. CTLP is committed to advancing educational, union-related, and legal awareness among teachers through both centralized and decentralized training workshops. It has also proposed several legislative initiatives related to the education sector and achieved significant legal victories to uphold teachers’ rights before the Lebanese judiciary.

Team Members  

Cathrine Brun – Co-Principal Investigator 

Cathrine Brun is a human geographer, and her research interests concern forced migration and conflict, housing and home, theory, ethics and practice of humanitarianism. Her approach to research is qualitative and ethnographic with action research as a central way of co-producing knowledge. Cathrine will work closely with the CLS research team to coordinate research implementation across partners, contribute to research design, and provide methodological and ethical guidance. She will guide the research training to community researchers, support data collection and analysis, and oversee the production and dissemination of research outputs in collaboration with partner organisations. 

Maha Shuayb – Co-Principal Investigator  

Maha Shuayb is the British Academy Bilateral Chair in Education in Conflict at the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Education and has been with CLS since 2012. She shares her time between Beirut and Cambridge. With a PhD from Cambridge, she specialises in the sociology and politics of education, particularly focusing on equity and the implications of inequalities for marginalized groups. She is a founding member of the Disability Hub and will lead the Localization Research Lab while participating in the Education Monitor’s activities and dissemination efforts. Maha will also support capacity strengthening for community research capabilities among teachers. 

Suha Tutunji – Co-Principal Investigator 

Suha Tutunji is the Head of Refugee Education at Jusoor and has more than 35 years of experience in education, including 18 years as a school administrator. With expertise in research and capacity-building for educators across multiple countries, she actively contributes to the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) and participates in the INEE teacher-training working group. Suha holds an MA in School Management and Supervision. As a co-lead in the Community Research initiative, Suha will collaborate with community researchers – primarily teachers in refugee settings – to investigate challenges related to mental health and inclusion in education. She will facilitate focus groups and consultations to ensure the research agenda aligns with community needs.   

Nisrine Chahine – Co-Principal Investigator 

Nisrine Chahine serves as the President of the Contractual Teachers’ League in Lebanese Primary Public Schools and is a researcher in educational and syndical affairs. With a PhD in Educational Sciences and a strong advocacy background, she has published widely on educational and social issues. Nisrine will co-manage the project and focus on the community research component, co-leading both the Monitoring Inequalities in Education and the Community Research projects. She will engage with teachers and community members to identify research priorities and develop methodologies that empower local researchers.   

Cyrine Saab – Senior Researcher and Project Coordinator 

Cyrine Saab is a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Lebanese Studies with interests in informal work and learning in everyday life among refugee children and youth in Beirut. She recently completed her PhD in Education, Practice, and Society at the UCL Institute of Education in London. Cyrine has extensive experience conducting research related to refugee children and youth in the SWANA region, including work on the political economy of knowledge production in refugee education research, the localisation of aid, and pathways to employment for refugee youth. She also co-founded the CLS Knowledge Collective, bringing together early career researchers from around the world to conduct various research activities. In this project, Cyrine will oversee the partnership and manage the overall project coordination. She will focus on strengthening the partnership’s infrastructure and advancing locally grounded knowledge production. Cyrine will coordinate outreach and dissemination activities, ensuring effective communication of research findings to policymakers, practitioners, and the wider community. 

Maria Maalouf – Coordinator of the Educational Space Quarterly   

Maria is a social sciences researcher at the Centre for Lebanese Studies (CLS) with a background in law and strategic studies . Her work explores the intersection of displacement, governance, and education in crisis contexts, with a focus on how legal and policy frameworks shape the lived experiences of Lebanese and non-Lebanese people in Lebanon. Her research combines policy analysis with qualitative fieldwork, capturing voices from the ground to document vulnerabilities, and state and non-state responses to multiple crises. Currently, her work focuses on education in conflict and crisis, examining how systemic inequalities and policy responses affect marginalized children’s access to learning. In this project, Maria will coordinate the Educational Space Quarterly, facilitating collaboration between writers, overseeing content development, and ensuring the timely production and dissemination of each issue.

Mohammad Hammoud – Post-doctoral Researcher 

Mohammad Hammoud is a senior researcher and British Academy Fellow at CLS (Beirut-office), specializing in longitudinal research for refugee children in education. He completed his PhD at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and leads the Education Monitor’s annual crisis monitoring. He has published numerous academic papers and has experience with quantitative data and empirical modeling. Mohammad will oversee the Education Monitor and data management, actively participating in data collection and contributing to the annual report that synthesizes findings on educational disparities. 

Nehme Nehme – Senior Researcher and Representative of Parents’ Syndicates 

Nehme Nehme is a cultural expert and educational researcher with extensive experience in arts and multimedia education. He co-founded the Union of Parents’ Commicees in Private Schools in Lebanon and actively contributes to the Education Monitor. His significant publications include ‘Arts in Education – Lebanon’ and ‘The Cost of Education in Lebanon’. Nehme will co-lead the Monitor work and engage in data collection and community research, ensuring ethical handling of research data.  

For more information about this project, please contact Cyrine Saab at [email protected]