As the 2025/2026 school year draws near, concerns are growing within the education sector over what stakeholders are describing as disruptions in preparations. The situation stems from a combination of factors, including gaps in summer duty attendance and the recent large-scale transfer of teachers, which has placed extra strain on school administrators.
Education sources told Al-Shorouk that many principals of middle and secondary schools had planned well in advance to use the summer shift period to get their institutions ready for the new term. These preparations typically include reorganising academic departments, equipping classrooms, checking and maintaining teaching equipment, and finalising teacher lists based on the results of the annual teacher transfer movement.
While some school heads returned to their posts in early August to begin these tasks, they encountered a major obstacle — the absence of provincial education officials who were on annual leave, and the near-total absence of summer shift teams in several state directorates. This, according to administrators, has slowed decision-making and caused delays in urgent approvals such as teacher appointments, administrative confirmations, and transfer appeals.
The lack of coordination with state education directorates has created what some described as an “administrative vacuum” in addressing immediate challenges. These include filling gaps in teaching staff, processing requests for permanent appointments, and responding to appeals related to teacher transfers. With the first day of classes scheduled for September 1st, principals fear that these unresolved issues could lead to organisational chaos and disrupt the stability of both students and staff.
The release of the 2025 teacher transfer list in July compounded the pressure. In some states, mass transfers affected critical subject areas such as natural sciences, mathematics, and foreign languages, leaving certain schools understaffed in core disciplines. To cope, school heads have resorted to quick fixes like redistributing teaching hours among senior staff and temporarily engaging substitute teachers whose appointments are still pending. However, most of these adjustments require official approval and signatures from absent administrative officers, meaning final decisions will have to wait until mid-August when more staff return from leave.
Some education officials argue that the absence of staff during the summer is not due to a formal directive but rather to a mix of staff shortages and annual leave commitments. In some cases, limited summer duty teams are in place to handle urgent matters, but their capacity is not enough to meet the full demands of all schools in their jurisdiction.
Analysts say the root of the problem lies in the timing of the teacher transfer process, which often overlaps with the summer break when administrative activity slows down. They warn that without stronger coordination between schools and state directorates, the sector risks starting the academic year under-prepared, a situation that could affect learning outcomes.
Principals are calling for better year-round communication with education authorities and a more efficient system for handling urgent cases during summer months. They also stress that preparations for a school year go beyond simply opening classrooms, noting that everything from staffing to resource allocation must be in place for a smooth start.
For now, school administrators are racing against time to get their institutions ready. Whether these last-minute efforts will be enough to prevent disruption when students return remains to be seen, but the consensus among many in the education community is clear — without prompt administrative support, the 2025/2026 school year could begin under less-than-ideal conditions.
