Online English Language Tutoring (OELT)
Beginning in 2021, CEPAL has been providing online English tutoring for Palestinian students in Lebanon to prepare them to apply and enter university, as well as help them improve their English capacities during their university careers. Over the past year, CEPAL provided tutoring for 24 students.
How Does OELT Work?
Each semester, CEPAL recruits Canadian volunteers to provide online English-language tutoring, with a strong emphasis on recruiting individuals with a background in education. Volunteers are matched with up to three Palestinian refugee students in Lebanon and meet with them via video call each week to provide conversational English tutoring. Volunteers aim to help students engage in increasingly challenging conversation in English.
Our OELT Program Partners
CEPAL delivers OELT in partnership with the Unite Lebanon Youth Project (ULYP)
ULYP is a non-profit organization (NGO#134) established in 2010 to propel a paradigm shift in Lebanon from a nation that is divided along religious, political, socio-economic, and ethnic lines to one where people can co-exist, unite, and work together for a better future. ULYP does this through creating educational opportunities and giving equal access to quality educational programs to children, youth, and women in the marginalized communities. ULYP’s programs raise general awareness on mutual respect, tolerance, and acceptance of the other to create a dialogue of peace.
Unite Lebanon Youth Project (ULYP) Bridge Program
ULYP’s Bridge Program helps students who meet the eligibility criteria to enroll in post-secondary education and engages them in a college preparatory program, including online English tutoring through CEPAL. At the end, the Bridge Program matches students with scholarships for undergraduate degrees in universities in Lebanon and abroad.
Resources for Tutors
Tutors can access a bank of select e-resources with a range of conversation-generating activities and lesson plans that reduce planning time. When volunteers request it, CEPAL sets up an initial introductory meeting for the tutors and students. CEPAL has also hosted a workshop to demonstrate online resources and techniques.
How You Can Help
Volunteer with us! Your skills could help us grow our impact and support more students. Sign up on our website today!
Why We Work in Lebanon
Since the Nakba (catastrophe) of 1948, Lebanon has provided refuge to many Palestinians, particularly those from northern Palestine. Today, an estimated 180,000 Palestinian refugees—descendants of those displaced in 1948—live in Lebanon.
Within the UNRWA school system, students begin learning English in Grade 1, and by Grade 4, math and science subjects are taught in English. However, poor English language instruction often results in weak language skills, which impacts performance across all subjects. Of all Palestinian refugee students, only 10% enter university each year, with the remainder dropping out earlier in their educational journeys, in part due to weak English language skills.
Strong English skills are essential for Palestinian refugee students to access higher education and secure scholarships. Many of Lebanon’s top universities—and universities abroad—require high SAT scores, with the SAT exam only available in English. Once in university, students need English proficiency to understand course material, integrate socially, and participate in extracurricular activities—all of which contribute to their academic success and future career prospects.
By improving access to high-quality English-language education, Palestinian refugee students in Lebanon will have a better chance of continuing their studies, overcoming barriers, and securing meaningful opportunities for the future.