Young... Successful...
Lebanese VIP
MINISTER
ELIAS BOU SAAB
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Lucky is the country that counts Elias Bou Saab among its leaders.
As an outspoken advocate for youth, he has pushed the boundaries of a divisive political rhetoric, towards a unifying patriotic discourse.
Working relentlessly on empowering the Lebanese youth to be active members of civic society, Elias Bou Saab’s priority is providing all children access to quality education.
Facing corruption with his unwavering intelligibility, Bou Saab’s ethics and honesty are not the only core values in his moral compass as perseverance and sharpness remains the base of his path.
He is a man of convictions, a man of principles…
The man of success
Occupation:
- Member of the Lebanese Parliament representing the region of Northern Metn, Free Patriotic Movement Bloc, 2018
- Founder and Executive Vice President of the American University in Dubai, 1995 till present
-Co-founder of the Emirati Lebanese Friendship Association
Degrees:
- M.A. International Relations, Boston University, US, 1994
- B.B.A. in Marketing, the American College in London, UK
Date of Birth:
September 8, 1967
Status:
Julia Boutros
Children:
Samer (1997), Tarek (2003)
Hobbies:
Golf, ski and photography
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Son of Janette Owayjan and Nicolas Bou Saab, Elias Bou Saab's childhood was spent in Dhour Choueir, the village that he proudly draws back his roots and heritage to.
After graduating from St. Joseph School in Kornet Shehwen in 1987, Bou Saab’s ambition led him to the United Kingdom where he attended The American College in London where he was elected President of the Student Government Association twice; He later received his Masters of Arts in International Relations from Boston University.
In 1992, he founded The Lebanese Graduates of Britain (LGB) and served as its first President.
Elias Bou Saab wed in 1996 one Lebanon's national musical treasures, Ms. Julia Boutros. They went on to have two sons and lived in Dubai as Bou Saab founded, established and led the American University in Dubai to international heights.
In February 2014, Bou Saab was assigned to the role of Minister of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon; he was in charge of overseeing the Lebanese education system during a tumultuous time of heightened pressure due to the refugee influx during the Syrian Civil War.
Elias bou Saab embarked on several ambitious governmental educational reform projects, all of which have been deeply impactful and formative in Lebanon's public education sector.
In 2017, Elias Bou Saab led intensive negotiations with World Bank, resulting in an exceptional loan of more than 100.000.000 USD, that currently sit in the account of the ministry of education at the central bank of Lebanon, ready to be used by the upcoming minister of education, in order to change the curriculum, replace books with tablets and build new public schools entitling everyone to get free education.
In March 2017, the President of Lebanon Michel Aoun appointed Bou Saab as his advisor on International Cooperation. Yet, his greatest reward was the love, devotion and appreciation of the people who elected him in May 2018 as member of Lebanese Parliament representing them in Northern Metn District.
Today, Bou Saab’s vision is to see light through the launch of the “Lebanese student forum”, a Non Governmental Organization whose objective is to empower students and youth; giving them a voice in all matters that impact them, from curriculum reforms, to finding a job, or directly interacting with the government.
The NGO will be initially funded by Elias Bou Saab through the salaries he earned as minister and was set aside by him for that purpose.
The NGO is due to be launched in the near future.
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• The principles that you will never change:
Honesty and transparency.
• A lost battle: Trying to make everybody understand you well and judge you fairly as people evaluate you based on their own political and religious background.
•Your first priority:
to constantly better people’s lives, including my family and my community, which I am very proud of.
• A person that had an impact in your life:
My wife Julia. She is unique and special. She is an independent thinker, a direct, honest, moral, and strong woman, while remains sensitive and kind.
• You can’t forget:
The moment my children were born.
• You can’t forgive: Those who created smear campaigns and lied about me, attempting to corrupt my reputation because they do not agree with my principles or my point of view.
• How would you evaluate women’s role in the society?
Women are half of the society, sidelining them means losing half of our achievements and productivity. During my ministerial term, I was a strong proponent for gender balance among my team, which saw the women constitute 70% of the ministry's positions.
• Where do you stand towards the law allowing women to grant citizenship to their children?
Equality between men and women cannot be achieved without granting the same basic rights to both, and that includes Lebanese women passing their nationality to their children.
However, we must be specially mindful and try to limit cases of “passport marriages” by implementing rigorous legal checks and conditions on those individuals before passports are issued.
This should allow for the law to be passed without consequence to other nationalities.
..................................................................................Mona Sabongi
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