Ministry of Education continues restructuring workforce in schools.. starting next Sunday

The Ministry of Education announced the continuation of measures to reorganize the workforce in schools, effective Sunday, October 4, 2026, in implementation of directives from Minister of Education Eng. Jalal Al-Tabatabai regarding achieving a balanced distribution of personnel according to the actual needs of schools. This aims to direct energies and competencies to the most in need locations, enhance the stability of school operations, and place the learner’s interest and educational needs at the forefront of priorities.

In a statement, the Ministry of Education emphasized that administrative reform in the educational field is proceeding along two parallel and integrated paths. The first involves redistributing male and female teachers among schools according to the actual need for educational specializations. The second involves reorganizing and assigning educational supervisory positions in accordance with the new organizational structure of school administrations and the approved job titles, based on a comprehensive review of workforce data and its current distribution in schools.

The Ministry clarified that these measures followed a series of meetings and reviews addressing the current distribution of educational and supervisory staff, which revealed disparities in the number of teachers and some supervisory positions between schools due to previous organizational accumulations. This necessitated a redistribution according to unified criteria linked to the actual need of each school, the number of learners and classrooms, alongside the requirements of the approved organizational structure.

The Ministry noted that a review of actual data on the number of teaching staff in schools revealed a clear disparity in the distribution of personnel among some schools compared to their actual needs, while other schools had a need for the same specializations. Among the cases identified by the Ministry, it was found that one middle school had 66 Islamic education teachers, whereas its actual need was only 11. Similarly, one school had 22 art education teachers, while its actual need for the same specialization was only 4.

Data also showed a similar disparity in one kindergarten, where there were 30 teachers for only 4 classrooms. This underscores the importance of aligning the distribution of educational staff with the actual needs of each school, ensuring that available competencies are directed to the most in need locations and achieving balance among schools.

The Ministry of Education explained that, in light of these indicators, the current phase of the first path involves redistributing male and female teachers among schools according to the actual need of each school across various educational specializations, in proportion to the number of classrooms, learners, and capacity. This aims to achieve balance in the number of teaching staff and make optimal use of available personnel, paving the way for the second phase of the surplus management plan.

The Ministry added that the redistribution of teachers is carried out according to clear controls and criteria, giving priority to transfers for the most recently appointed teachers in schools where the number of teachers exceeds the quota determined for the school, calculated based on the number of classrooms and learners, while considering proximity to the school of origin.

In the second phase, the Ministry of Education clarified that the measures include reorganizing and assigning supervisory educational positions in accordance with the new organizational structure of schools. This follows a data review that revealed the presence of more than one department head for the same academic specialization in certain schools, with some cases having two or three department heads for the same subject. Additionally, the number of assistant principals for educational affairs in some schools reached four, while other schools have a genuine need for such staff. This situation necessitates redistribution to achieve balance among schools.

The Ministry emphasized that addressing the disparity in the distribution of supervisory positions and assigning their incumbents will be based on the organizational structure and the actual needs of schools. Priority in transfers will be given to those who were most recently promoted to supervisory positions, while taking into account the proximity between the school of origin and the destination school. This approach aims to optimize the use of human resources while preserving job stability for employees.

The Ministry of Education noted that the new school organizational structure includes assistant principals for educational and student affairs, drawn from teaching staff who have progressed within the educational cadre, as well as an assistant principal for administrative affairs, selected from administrative staff who have advanced through the administrative track. Vacancies will be announced later to facilitate their assignment to school administrations in accordance with approved procedures and regulations.

The Ministry further clarified that the new organization stipulates one department head per subject in each school, thereby clarifying responsibilities and jurisdictions more clearly and aligning with the numbers prescribed in the organizational structure. Any surplus in these positions will be redistributed to schools with genuine needs, ensuring a balanced distribution of supervisory staff across schools.

The Ministry stressed that these measures are part of a comprehensive administrative reform and are not aimed at transfers per se. Rather, they seek to address disparities and previous organizational accumulations, achieve equity in the distribution of human resources, and establish sustainable solutions that ensure fair distribution of teachers in the future based on the actual needs of schools. This will enhance the capacity of school administrations to perform their duties efficiently and support the stability of the educational process.

The Ministry also affirmed that the welfare of students is the primary objective of the workforce reorganization measures. The distribution of staff is directly linked to the needs of students, classrooms, and specializations, ensuring that each school has the appropriate number of teachers and supervisory leaders. This contributes to enhancing the stability of the school environment and improving the efficiency and quality of the educational process, within a comprehensive vision for developing institutional performance and optimizing the use of human resources in the educational field.