Only private schools are expected to open Monday, with public schools delayed another week by the overwhelming tasks of reconstruction and repair, particularly in villages that bore the brunt of the Israeli assault during its month-long conflict with Hezbollah.
For the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese students who do start school Monday, the first day back may not be easy.
Dozens of schools were flattened in the predominantly Shiite regions in the south of the country, from where the militant group Hezbollah launched a salvo of 4,000 rockets against Israel during the 34-day conflict.
Israeli artillery pounded southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs in a bid to force out the guerrillas, killing around 1,200 people - one-third of those killed were children under 12 - and destroying massive numbers of homes, apartments, businesses, bridges, and schools.
The UN children's agency UNICEF has said that the government faces a "massive challenge" when it comes to getting ready for school after the assault.
The Lebanese government estimates that around 50 schools were entirely destroyed and 300 sustained major damage during the July 12 to August 14 war, sparked after Hezbollah seized two Israeli soldiers is a cross-border raid.
Many of the schools that were hit by Israeli fire but remained standing were nevertheless rendered unusable by heavy debris in classrooms and irreparable damage to furniture and supplies.
Schools were supposed to open in mid to late September, but the date was postponed to allow time for repair work. Now private school students are to begin returning October 9 and public school students October 16.
Some schools will have to take turns hosting two groups of classes in the same day. Some children will be unable to go to school in their own villages and will have to be bused to a nearby location where a school remains standing.
UNICEF has been distributing schoolbags, notebooks, pencils, and other supplies in a campaign aimed at helping 350,000 to 400,000 public school students and 150 schools.
"The aim of the back-to-school campaign is to have 350,000 children back to school October 18," said a statement by Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF's emergency operations coordinator in Lebanon.
But the psychological health of the children is also a key concern for UNICEF, which has aimed to educate teachers in recognizing signs of trauma in the most vulnerable children and responding to their needs.
Going back to school "is not only important for the education of these children, but it will also bring back into their lives some kind of normalcy," Duamelle said.
For young survivors of war, "it's a way for them to cope with and recover from the traumas they have experienced."
Nearly 1 million children are enrolled in private and public schools in Lebanon, which has one of the highest literacy rates in the Middle East.
Lebanon has estimated that it needs $70 million to rebuild its education system after the war.
The money is needed for "reconstruction and repair of schools, the purchase of school furniture, and for training teachers to handle traumatized students," education minister Khaled Kabbani said.
Kabbani announced the delay for public school students Sunday, vowing that the government was working hard to make sure that "each student has a place" and that "all students will be at their desks by October 16."
Kabbani also said, while on a visit to Khiam, which was the scene of heavy fighting between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israeli forces, "we have to overcome a number of challenges to rebuild and repair the schools."
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar have volunteered to help Lebanon's schooling needs, with the oil-rich Saudi kingdom offering to pay public school fees for all those enrolled in 2006-2007 at a cost of around $25 million.
Qatar has begun fixing up schools in eight villages that it has chosen to sponsor, with the goal of opening 16 schools by October 18. The UAE is also helping repair work in 18 villages and is buying books for 400,000 students.
The World Bank has set aside $12 million to help Lebanese schools return to fully functioning institutions of learning.
In addition to repair work, many schools have required cleaning and general upkeep after being transformed into temporary shelters for around 150,000 people who were displaced during the war.
© 2006 Agence France-Presse
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