HIBAPRESS – Ahmed Al-Mosaad
Educational institutions in the Eastern Region witnessed a swift start to actual teaching for the 2026-2027 academic year, amidst comprehensive mobilization by the Regional Academy of Education and Training and various partners. A total of 547,606 male and female students headed to classrooms, including 441,739 in public education and 58,300 children in early childhood education.
During this academic year, the academy seeks to continue implementing the roadmap for reforming the educational system and consolidating the "Pioneer Institutions" option, to reduce school dropout rates and improve classroom practices.
Expanding the "Pioneer Schools" Model
The "Pioneer Institutions" project in the primary cycle has seen significant expansion in the region, now encompassing 617 institutions (after adding 184 new institutions and 81 sub-units). This allows 189,688 students to benefit from this educational model, which is equivalent to 83% of the total students in this cycle.
At the middle school level, the number of pioneer middle schools has increased to 110 institutions after adding 40 new middle schools, benefiting 79,871 students (63% of the cycle's students). This model focuses on providing support according to the "Tarl" program and developing basic learning, in addition to establishing a system to monitor students at risk of dropping out and activating extracurricular and sports activities.
Promoting Early Childhood Education and Expanding Educational Offerings
In the context of generalizing and improving early childhood education, the academy has allocated 3,030 public classes benefiting 58,300 children, with the mobilization of 2,319 classrooms, including 162 new classrooms.
The educational offerings in the region have also been enhanced by the establishment of 13 new educational institutions, bringing the total number of educational institutions to 1,020 (including 455 in rural areas), distributed among 700 primary schools, 192 middle schools, and 128 preparatory schools.
The expansions included the addition of 159 new classrooms (77 in primary, 40 in middle, and 42 in preparatory) to alleviate overcrowding and expand capacity.
Social Support and Human Governance
To ensure equal opportunities in rural and remote areas, social support services have been strengthened through: Boarding facilities and meals: Operating 129 boarding facilities providing meal and accommodation services to 26,067 beneficiaries, including 11,825 beneficiaries of full scholarships and 14,242 beneficiaries of meals; School transportation: Allocating 887 buses (including 47 new buses) benefiting 47,648 students (including 24,682 females).
In terms of human resources, educational and administrative structures have been reinforced with the appointment of 1,042 new teaching staff, bringing the total human resources in the region to 25,556 staff (including 21,523 teaching staff).
Mobilization and Field Monitoring
These figures come after a series of coordination and field meetings chaired by the Academy Director, along with joint regional and provincial committees and local authorities and elected councils, to assess the readiness of institutions and address logistical challenges, ensuring a safe and stable educational start for all learners.
