The Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais (GLFL) is a prestigious French

lycée In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...

in the

Achrafieh Achrafieh ( ar, الأشرفية) is an upper-class area in eastern Beirut, Lebanon. In strictly administrative terms, the name refers to a sector (''secteur'') centred on Sassine Square, the highest point in the city, as well as a broader quarter ...

district of

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, founded in 1909 by the

Mission laïque française Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

. The institution leads as the flagship of the French lycées operating in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

. It is recognised as a French international school by the

Agency for French Education Abroad The Agency for French Education Abroad, or Agency for French Teaching Abroad, (french: Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger; abbreviation: AEFE), is a national public agency under the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ...

(AEFE).

History

Just over a century old, the Grand Lycée has made its way through Lebanese modern history. The

Lebanese civil war The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

, which began in 1975, marks the most serious crisis the Grand Lycée ever faced. The buildings were badly damaged and due to their proximity to the Green Line, access was difficult. From 1996 to 2003, the lycée undertook comprehensive renovations, where all the "Ecochard" buildings were rehabilitated and new structures were constructed. The stadium "Stade du Chayla" was inaugurated on 25 March 2005 and renovated in 2018. Initially located in the Sodeco neighborhood near the central Beirut district, it later moved to Beni Assaf Street, near the French embassy and

Saint Joseph University Saint Joseph University of Beirut (French: ''Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth'', abbreviated to and commonly known as "USJ") is a private Catholic research university located in Beirut, Lebanon, which was founded in 1875 by French Jesuit mis ...

in the

Badaro Badaro is a well-known residential neighborhood and business hub in the heart of Beirut. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by the Pierre Gemayel avenue on the north, the Hippodrome on the west, Sami el Solh avenue on the east, Beirut's pine ...

neighborhood. GLFL has ten buildings, five of which were conceived by the French planner Michel Ecochard, and also added a new athletic stadium on Damascus street: "Le stade de Chayla".

Organisation

Brice Léthier was the previous headmaster of the Grand Lycée. The school offers classes to more than 3,600 students. It remains the flagship institution of the Mission Laïque Française organisation and leads its eight established schools in Lebanon. School departments include 3 libraries in which students can find a network of computers intended for educational resources, as well as 27,000 books and literary archives including newspapers, novels, and magazines. A secondary library known as the BCD is also available to younger students. Across the street, the brand new Stade du Chayla comprises a track-and-field playground, along with tennis, badminton, basketball and mini-soccer courts. The building includes table tennis and squash halls as well as an indoor swimming pool.

Notable alumni

Marwan Hamadeh Marwan Hamadeh ( ar, مروان حمادة; born 11 September 1939) is a Lebanese journalist and politician, who served in various capacities in different cabinets, including minister of education, minister of telecommunications, minister of econ ...

, Minister of Telecommunications, Economy, Trade and Health * Gebran Tueni, Editor-in-chief of An-Nahar and Member of Parliament * Fares Souhaid, General Secretary of the March 14 Coalition and Member of Parliament *

Samir Kassir Samir Kassir ( ar, سمير قصير, 5 May 1960 – 2 June 2005) was a Lebanese- Palestinian journalist of '' An-Nahar'' and professor of history at Saint-Joseph University, who was an advocate of democracy and prominent opponent of the Sy ...

, journalist *

Nassim Nicholas Taleb Nassim Nicholas Taleb (; alternatively ''Nessim ''or'' Nissim''; born 12 September 1960) is a Lebanese-American essayist, mathematical statistician, former option trader, risk analyst, and aphorist whose work concerns problems of randomness ...

, author of '' The Black Swan'' * Nabil Bukhalid, Former Chief Enterprise Architect at

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...

References

External links

Grand Lycée
Official website (French)
Official alumni community

History

Organisation

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links

Further reading