Ammon News - Teaching staff at schools began reporting for duty on Sunday for the 2026–2027 academic year, in accordance with the officially approved and previously announced school calendar. Students will begin attending school next Sunday, August 23.

The start of work for teaching staff one week before students return is a key step in ensuring a smooth and organized start to the new academic year. The week is being dedicated to essential preparations to ensure schools are fully ready, according to Nawaf Al-Ajarmeh, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development for Educational Affairs.

Al-Ajarmeh said these preparations include setting up classrooms, school facilities and other premises to receive students in suitable conditions; receiving, inventorying and preparing textbooks to ensure they are distributed to students on the first day without delay; conducting supplementary exams for students who did not pass certain subjects before the start of the new academic year and issuing their results; as well as preparing lists and plans, assigning students to classes, registering transferred students, and preparing annual and semester teaching plans.

He noted that the ministry had followed up on recent discussions regarding the start date of the 2026–2027 school year, stressing that August 23 is not a new decision, but rather a date that has been in effect for three consecutive academic years, in line with the ministry’s educational plans and the requirements of the academic year.

Al-Ajarmeh explained that the school calendar was prepared based on the provisions of the Education and Human Resources Development Law, which was approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and received Royal Assent. Article 12, paragraph 1(a), stipulates that actual school days in educational institutions must total no fewer than 200 days per academic year, as specified in the school calendar prepared by the ministry.

The school calendar was therefore developed in accordance with this legal requirement to ensure the minimum number of actual school days is met, while taking into account official holidays, vacations and the requirements for implementing various educational programs.

The start date also forms part of the ministry’s implementation of a sustainable national program to support student learning. The program aims to address learning loss, strengthen core skills and improve academic achievement, ensuring students have access to more effective and higher-quality learning opportunities.

Al-Ajarmeh emphasized that the ministry’s decision to continue this approach was based on scientific and objective findings. Diagnostic assessments conducted to measure the impact of remedial programs showed noticeable improvements in students’ achievement levels, particularly in reading and numeracy, compared with the baseline established before the program was implemented. He said this demonstrates the effectiveness of the interventions and the importance of continuing them to achieve further improvements in learning outcomes.