Ammon News - Spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development Mahmoud Hiyasat said the ministry is fully prepared to receive students for the new academic year, noting that preparations have been completed regarding school buildings, classroom expansions, maintenance work, teaching and administrative staff, and textbooks.

Speaking to Public Security Radio (Amen FM), Hiyasat said the ministry completed its preparations early to provide students with a suitable and safe school environment.

Since September, the ministry has received 86 new school buildings and 99 classroom additions, while carrying out more than 723 maintenance projects at schools. These measures have created additional capacity for around 90,000 students, enabled the ministry to phase out 61 rented schools, and converted 22 schools from a two-shift system to a single-shift system.

He added that the ministry has recently appointed around 6,300 male and female teachers, stressing that schools are ready to receive students at the start of the academic year.

Regarding textbooks, Hiyasat said the ministry received the books from printing presses early, while education directorates distributed them to schools to ensure they are available to students from the first day of school.

He noted that any limited delays in delivering books to some students may be linked to transfers between public and private schools during the first two weeks of the academic year, stressing that this is part of organizational procedures aimed at ensuring stability in the educational process.

Regarding the school transportation project, Hiyasat described it as a major national project being implemented in phases, indicating that the first phase will launch in the southern governorates of Karak, Tafileh, Ma’an and Aqaba, particularly in areas facing transportation difficulties and where residential communities are geographically dispersed.

The first phase covers 61 schools and will provide free and safe transportation to around 9,000 students, in addition to approximately 900 teachers and administrative staff, using 120 modern buses equipped with monitoring, tracking and camera systems.

He explained that the project includes an electronic application allowing parents to monitor their children’s movements while traveling to and from school, enhancing safety and providing reassurance to families.

Hiyasat said the project will create around 220 jobs in the beneficiary areas, including positions for drivers and technicians, noting that it is being implemented in cooperation with the Ministries of Education, Investment and Transport, as well as the Land Transport Regulatory Commission.

Regarding students transferring from private to public schools, Hiyasat stressed that public schools are open to all students, emphasizing that no school will close its doors to a student wishing to enroll.

He explained that some schools may experience overcrowding, requiring consideration of the quality of education and preventing classroom numbers from rising to levels that could negatively affect teaching standards.

Hiyasat said planning departments at education directorates will assess overcrowded schools and, where there is capacity for an additional class, establish one to accommodate students.

The ministry is also working in parallel to expand school buildings and classroom facilities, with the aim of gradually phasing out rented buildings and two-shift schools and increasing the capacity of public schools.

Hiyasat called on parents to cooperate with the ministry in cases where some schools experience overcrowding, explaining that the presence of geographically nearby schools allows students to be distributed among neighboring schools, ensuring access to quality education in a suitable school environment.