"Zero hour is approaching"... Contract teachers announce confrontation after their law was struck down under Parliament’s dome.

The League of Contract Teachers in Basic Education raised the سقف of its positions, warning of field protests as the start of the school year approaches, following the downfall of the draft law related to counting the hours of contract and auxiliary teachers who lost their working hours as a result of the war.

In a statement, the league said the rejection of the proposal reflects a lack of political will to do justice to teachers, criticizing what it described as the prioritization of political calculations and patronage over teachers’ basic rights, and stressing that issues concerning teachers are not a priority for those in power.

It pointed out that the education minister had previously issued a decision regulating eligibility for compensation for specific categories of teachers, but that teachers working in border areas were the most affected, after many of them lost their schools and source of livelihood because of the war, considering that passing the law would have provided relief for this group.

The league also criticized the course of the parliamentary session, saying the discussions were consumed by political wrangling while supportive positions for the teachers’ cause were absent, whether from the Ministry of Education or from members of Parliament.

It further noted that Parliament passed laws requiring financial allocations, at a time when the necessary funds were not earmarked to secure the rights of contract teachers, pointing out that the hourly teaching wage, amounting to about $8.2, has lost a large part of its value, increasing the living burdens teachers face.

The league affirmed that the next phase will witness escalatory moves to demand tenure, fair pay, social security, and a monthly salary, calling on all contract teachers to prepare to take part in the anticipated protests, and stressing that "zero hour is approaching."