Teachers' strike and soaring fees: Lebanon’s public school pupils miss class

Public school teacher Claude Koteich poses for a picture with her son and daughter at their house in Deir Qubel, Lebanon September 19, 2022. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

DEIR QUBEL (Reuters) - School teacher Claude Koteich, her teenager daughter and 10-year-old son should have all been back in class weeks ago – but a crisis in Lebanon's education sector has left them lounging at home on a Monday afternoon.

Lebanon's three-year financial meltdown has severely devalued the country's pound and drained state coffers, pushing 80% of the population into poverty and gutting public services including water and electricity.