Minister of Education Approves the "Tracks" System for the Secondary Stage
Minister of Education, Engineer Sayed Jalal Al-Tabatabai, has approved a new “Tracks” curriculum system for the secondary stage, to be implemented starting from the 2026/2027 academic year for Grade 10 students in schools designated by the Ministry of Education. This step aims to develop secondary education, enhance its flexibility, and align it with students’ abilities, interests, and the requirements of university studies and the labor market. The new system will be applied on a voluntary basis for students wishing to enroll, while the current secondary education system will continue to apply to students not covered by the “Tracks” system, ensuring no disruption to their existing academic path.
The Ministry of Education clarified that the first phase of implementing the “Tracks” system will launch in 12 schools distributed across all educational regions, with one school for boys and one for girls in each region. This aims to test the system practically and measure its effectiveness and outcomes before gradual expansion. The ministerial decree stipulates that the Deputy Minister of Education will oversee the preparation procedures for implementing the system, taking necessary executive measures in coordination between the ministry’s sectors, educational regions, and relevant authorities, ensuring the readiness of the educational and administrative system.
The “Tracks” system spans three academic years, divided into six semesters, totaling 54 academic units. Grade 10 serves as a common foundational year for all students, comprising a set of general courses alongside “Exploration 1” and “Exploration 2” experiences. These exploration courses and experiences aim to help students identify their abilities, interests, and academic inclinations before transitioning to selecting the educational track best suited to their potential and future aspirations.
The new system offers students eight educational tracks: Languages, Law, Social Sciences, Commercial, Mathematics, Sciences, Industrial, and Technology and Artificial Intelligence. This provides diverse options that account for differences in students’ abilities, interests, and future orientations. The ministry emphasized that track selection will not rely solely on academic grades but will follow a comprehensive system of criteria including academic achievement, abilities, interests, and results from exploration courses, helping guide students toward fields most compatible with their potential.
The “Tracks” system combines common courses studied by all students with specialized courses linked to the track chosen by the student, achieving a balance between acquiring basic knowledge and skills and developing specialized capabilities. The tracks system also includes several practical components, such as a flexible course, a graduation project, community service, and field training, totaling 120 hours, thereby enhancing practical skills and linking education to reality, society, and the work environment.
The system allows students to benefit from the summer semester and register for up to 9 academic units, according to approved regulations and capacity. It also enables early graduation after five semesters for students who meet all prescribed academic requirements. As part of digital transformation, the “Masdar” platform provides electronic services for students, including registration, academic monitoring, and academic record documentation, offering more effective tools for tracking the student’s educational journey and managing their choices and academic path.
The Ministry of Education confirmed that the system’s implementation will be subject to continuous monitoring and evaluation, measuring performance indicators and impact, to identify strengths and areas for improvement and to utilize the results of the experimental phase in developing the system before moving to expansion stages. The first phase will ensure fair representation among different academic levels, aiming to form a balanced student sample that allows the ministry to evaluate the system objectively and measure its results and outcomes.
The ministry stressed that the Minister of Education’s directives focus on developing education based on scientific and well-considered foundations, and the necessity of continuously measuring the impact of educational projects and evaluating their results, ensuring that development serves the learner and enhances their capabilities and readiness for subsequent educational stages and professional life. It clarified that the “Tracks” system represents a shift toward a more flexible and diverse secondary education, giving students greater space to discover their abilities and interests before making educational decisions, while providing multiple academic, professional, and technical tracks.
The project aims to prepare graduates who are more aware of their abilities and educational and professional options, and to strengthen the link between secondary education, university studies, development needs, and the labor market, particularly in fields related to technology and artificial intelligence. The ministry confirmed that the phased implementation of the “Tracks” system represents the first step in a gradual development project, during which results will be monitored and the outcomes of the experience utilized to build a secondary model that is more flexible, diverse, and prepared for future requirements.
