Education Ministry: Redistributing teachers and supervisory roles based on schools' actual needs

The Ministry of Education: Redistributing teachers and supervisory positions according to the actual needs of schools • Redistributing teachers based on specializations, class numbers, and student enrollment • One department head per subject and redistributing surpluses to schools with actual needs • Administrative reform measures aim to achieve equity in the distribution of human resources, not transfers per se • A comprehensive review of school data reveals disparities in staff numbers, necessitating a reorganization of their distribution

The Ministry of Education announced the continuation of measures to reorganize the workforce in schools starting next Sunday, October 4, 2026, in implementation of the directives of His Excellency the Minister of Education, Engineer Sayed Jalal Al-Tabatabaei, regarding achieving balance in the distribution of personnel according to the actual needs of schools. This aims to direct energies and competencies to the most needy sites, enhance school work stability, and place the student’s interest and educational needs at the forefront of priorities.

The Ministry emphasized in a statement that administrative reform measures in the educational field are 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 approved job titles, based on a comprehensive review of workforce data and its actual distribution in schools.

The Ministry clarified that these measures followed a series of meetings and reviews addressing the reality of the distribution of educational and supervisory personnel, which revealed disparities in the number of teachers and some supervisory positions between schools due to previous organizational accumulations. This necessitated reorganizing the distribution according to unified criteria linked to the actual need of each school, the number of students and classes, as well as the requirements of the approved organizational structure.

The Ministry pointed out 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, while its actual need was only 11 teachers. Additionally, one school had 22 fine arts teachers, while its actual need for the same specialization was only 4 teachers. The data also showed a similar disparity in one kindergarten, where there were 30 teachers for only 4 classes. This confirms the importance of aligning the distribution of educational personnel with the actual needs of each school, ensuring that available competencies are directed to the most needy sites and achieving balance among schools.

The Ministry indicated 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 for various educational specializations, in proportion to the number of classes, students, and absorption capacity. The goal is 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 in transfers to those appointed most recently in schools where the number of teachers exceeds the quota determined for the school, calculated based on the number of classes and students, while considering proximity to the school of origin.

Regarding the second path, the Ministry clarified that measures include reorganizing and assigning educational supervisory positions according to the new organizational structure of schools. This follows a data review that revealed more than one department head for the same subject in some schools, with some cases having two or three department heads for the same specialization. Additionally, the number of assistant principals for educational affairs in some schools reached four, while other schools had an actual need for such personnel. This requires redistribution to achieve balance among schools.

The Ministry affirmed that addressing disparities in the distribution of supervisory positions and assigning incumbents will be done according to the organizational structure and actual needs of schools, giving priority in transfers to those most recently promoted to the supervisory position, while considering the distance between the school of origin and the destination school. This aims to achieve optimal use of human resources and maintain job stability for employees.

The Ministry pointed out that the new organizational structure of the school includes assistant principals for educational and student affairs from among teaching staff members progressing within the teaching cadre, as well as an assistant principal for administrative affairs from among administrative staff members progressing within the administrative path. Vacancies will be announced later to be filled in school administrations according to approved procedures and controls.

The Ministry also clarified that the new organization relies on having one department head per subject in the school, which contributes to defining responsibilities and competencies more clearly and aligns with the numbers stipulated in the organizational structure. Any surplus in incumbents for these positions will be redistributed to schools with actual needs, ensuring balance in the distribution of supervisory personnel across schools.

The Ministry stressed that these measures are part of an integrated administrative reform and do not aim at transfers per se, but rather seek to address disparities and previous organizational accumulations, achieve equity in the distribution of human resources, and provide sustainable solutions that ensure equitable distribution of teachers in the future according to the actual needs of schools. This enhances the ability of school administrations to perform their duties efficiently and supports the stability of the educational process.

The Ministry also affirmed that the student’s interest is the primary goal of workforce reorganization measures. The distribution of personnel is directly linked to student, class, and specialization needs, ensuring that teachers and supervisory leaders are available in appropriate numbers in each school. This contributes to enhancing the stability of the school environment and raising the efficiency and quality of the educational process, within a comprehensive vision for developing institutional performance and achieving optimal use of human resources in the educational field.