Director of the Schools and Student Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) Maryam Ali AlNesef al-Buainain, confirmed that all preparations have been completed for the start of the new 2026-2027 academic year next Sunday. Around 148,000 students will be welcomed across 282 public schools and 69 public kindergartens.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) ahead of the new academic year, Al-Buainain said that the ministry, through its relevant departments, continued working throughout the summer break to complete comprehensive maintenance and prepare educational facilities, ensuring a safe and welcoming school environment for students from the first day of classes.
The plan to prepare for the new academic year was based on four key strategic pillars. The first focused on ensuring the smooth enrolment of students in public schools. Registration and transfer procedures continued throughout the summer through four registration centres, which received around 6,700 visitors, ensuring that students from kindergarten through Grade 12 would be enrolled in their schools by the start of the academic year, she said.
The second pillar involved launching a unified reference framework through the issuance and updating of a comprehensive package of guidelines and policies supporting school leadership and administrative work. It also included specialised guides on academic and career counselling, as well as psychological and social support, helping to standardise procedures and enhance the stability of the educational process, al-Buainain added.
The third pillar focused on early readiness for student programs and activities through the development of a unified central plan for school activities. The plan includes clear implementation, monitoring and documentation mechanisms, ensuring the launch of extracurricular activities and interactive programs from the first day of school, while integrating the promotion of national identity and values with meeting students’ needs, she noted.
The fourth pillar concerns strengthening administrative governance and on-site monitoring. School administrative records were electronically restructured on the Microsoft Teams platform into a unified file containing forms approved by most Ministry departments, with the aim of standardising administrative practices and reducing paperwork for educational staff.
These efforts coincided with monitoring the readiness of school leadership teams, filling vacancies and carrying out staff transfers in coordination with the relevant authorities, as well as establishing nine evening centres for continuing education students, with registration scheduled to begin in early September, she added.
Regarding the readiness of public schools, the Director of the Schools and Students Affairs Department confirmed that field indicators were progressing according to plan, noting that education consultants were continuing their field visits to follow up on final preparations before the start of the academic year.
As part of efforts to keep pace with urban and population growth, she pointed to the opening of six new public schools equipped with the latest educational resources: Qatar Science and Technology Preparatory and Secondary School for Boys in Al Sakhama; Qatar Science and Technology Secondary School for Girls in Rawdat Al Hamama; Ain Khaled Secondary School for Boys; Doha Preparatory School for Girls; Al Thakhira Primary School for Boys; and Muaither Primary School for Girls.
Regarding services provided to the public, she explained that the registration process had undergone several improvements this year to enhance the user experience. These notably included the "Personal Profile” service, which allows parents to update their residential information electronically to facilitate school transfer procedures, as well as a new service for registering and transferring students with disabilities through the "Maaref” portal, a grade-level placement service, and updated guidelines.
These measures helped increase reliance on digital channels, with the Maaref portal receiving approximately 26,738 registration and transfer applications, she added.
Regarding the Ministry’s strategy to reduce class sizes, she said that students are assigned to schools according to criteria that take into account the geographical area of their residence and schools’ capacity. She noted that the Ministry addressed pressure on schools in densely populated areas by assigning a support team to respond to parents’ inquiries and provide guidance, as well as increasing the number of summer registration centres to accommodate applicants and complete procedures early.