Lebanon children celebrate no-school snow days, parents moan

Children in Lebanon have expressed their happiness after schools this week shut down because a winter storm, but mums across the land have also spoken their mind on the closures.

Narrated

2 min read

The New Arab

26 Jan, 2016

The impact of a snow strom was felt across Lebanon this week [Getty]

Lebanon's school children have taken to social media over the past few days to celebrate the minister of education's decision to shut down schools in parts of the country because of heavy snowfalls.

Lebanese children and teenagers have been enjoying their days off school thanks to the country's minister of education, Elias Bou Saab, however not everyone has been so pleased.

Facebook user Malek Tannir made a "Be Like Bill" meme for the Minister.

"This is Bou Saab! Bou Saab loves us and worries about us being in the cold. Bou Saab always gives us days off. And once again he's given us days off. Bou Saab is smart. Be like Bou Saab," the meme says.

Students even went as far as writing and recording a song for the minister.

The lyrics go: "Your Excellency the Minister we send you our gratitude. We're monitoring the weather waiting for your word. Please sir, let tomorrow be a day off so we can sleep in. It's warm at home, not freezing cold."


	Be like Bou Saab [Facebook]

One adult Twitter user lamented: "How come we didn't have a minister like him back in our day".

News anchor Rona Halabi tweeted: "Bou Saab has decided to close schools tomorrow because a storm. I have to get up at five in the morning for the morning newscast. Where are you labour minister? Information minister?"

But not everyone has been so ecstatic about the snow day fun.

Mothers across Lebanon have also taken to social media to post memes and funny tweets about Bou Saab.

One meme shows a list of imagined newspaper headlines, the list includes: "The Syrian regime abducts Bou Saab", "Mothers' of Lebanon claim responsibility for Bou Saab's abduction" and "Minister of education disappears in mysterious circumstances".

Another one shows North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un holding up a picture of Bou Saab with the caption "Bring me this minister!"

A third meme shows a mock announcement from Lebanon's pharmacies, it reads: "Out of sympathy for mothers, we will be distributing tranquillisers and muscle-relaxants for free to those who have been caught by surprise by the snow days."