Libyan Education Minister Sentenced to Prison Over Textbook Shortage
TRIPOLI – Libya’s Education Minister, Moussa Al-Megarief, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison over a textbook shortage that affected the country’s schools in 2021, the attorney general’s office announced on Sunday.
In addition to the prison sentence, the Tripoli Court of Appeal fined Megarief 1,000 dinars (approximately $200) and stripped him of his civil rights for the duration of his sentence and one year after his release, according to a statement posted on Facebook.
Megarief, a member of Libya’s national unity government, was found guilty of “violating the principle of equality,” showing favoritism in contract management, and improperly intervening in favor of an unnamed party regarding textbook printing contracts.
The case stems from the beginning of the 2021 school year when a severe shortage of textbooks forced parents to pay for photocopies of materials that were supposed to be provided for free in public schools. Authorities launched an investigation into Megarief’s handling of the contracts for printing textbooks and the reasons behind the shortage.
Following the inquiry, he was placed in preventive detention on charges of negligence in carrying out his duties. However, due to insufficient evidence, he was later released and reinstated as education minister.
Megarief defended his actions, attributing the delays to efforts to unify the school curriculum across Libya’s three regions, which he said caused disruptions in payments to suppliers.
Before the attorney general’s announcement, the Ministry of Education’s official Facebook page shared a photo of Megarief at work, signaling his continued role in office.