The Ministry of Education has officially approved the procedural guide for attendance and absence for the academic year 2025–2026. This initiative is part of its ongoing commitment to enhance school discipline and ensure that students remain engaged in the educational process, which is crucial for improving academic performance and fostering positive behavioral and educational values. The guide primarily targets students in public schools.
Through this guide, the ministry aims to instill values of responsibility and accountability in students, which are essential foundations for their future. Additionally, it seeks to create a more cohesive and disciplined school community while promoting attendance on particularly important days, such as Fridays, days before or after official holidays, and the days leading up to final exams each semester, as well as during the last two weeks of the second semester. These periods are significant for maintaining the continuity and quality of education.
The ministry emphasizes that school attendance is a fundamental requirement for academic success and reflects a student’s awareness and commitment to their future.
Specialized Studies
The ministry explained that the guide is based on specialized educational research highlighting the dangers of frequent absenteeism and its cumulative impact on learning outcomes. Studies indicate that missing 10% of school days can result in significant educational loss, equivalent to half a school year, and this loss doubles to a full year if absences exceed 20% of school days.
The ministry also pointed out that the guide highlights the adverse effects of absenteeism on the entire school community, necessitating effective educational interventions to prevent recurrence. Such effects jeopardize the flow of the educational process and the learning environment, ultimately impacting students’ experiences in the classroom.
Maximum Absence Limit
According to the guide, the maximum allowable days of unexcused absence is set at five days per semester. If a student’s total unexcused absences exceed 15 days by the end of the school year, they may be required to repeat the grade. The case will be referred to the appropriate departments within the ministry, as well as relevant external agencies responsible for child protection to ensure appropriate intervention.
The guide considers various circumstances that may necessitate a student’s absence from school, providing a list of acceptable excuses, including medical conditions, travel for treatment, participation in national and international events, emergencies, or the death of immediate family members.
Special exceptions have also been made for students with special needs and chronic illnesses to safeguard their educational rights. The ministry has mandated schools to create individualized support plans for students prone to frequent absence, including psychological and educational support sessions, regular communication with parents, and incentive programs to encourage consistent attendance, with periodic reviews of these plans to ensure their effectiveness.
Absence Weights
The procedural guide also establishes the weights of absence: a regular school day of absence counts as one day, whereas absences occurring on Fridays or just before or after holidays or during the periods leading to final exams and the last two weeks of the second semester count as two days.
The procedural guide details the sequence of notifications and warnings related to unexcused absences, starting with a written warning after the first day of absence without justification, followed by a first warning after three days, and a second warning after six days, with the case referred to the child protection unit. A third warning follows at ten days of absence, and if a student misses 15 days without a valid excuse, the file will be forwarded to the relevant authorities. Additionally, the ministry plans to implement a messaging system to notify parents immediately when their child is absent from school.
Data Updates
In this context, the ministry urges all parents to continuously update their contact information to ensure they receive notifications, thereby enhancing the safety of their children during school hours.
The ministry underscored the critical role parents play in the successful implementation of this guide, as their active involvement in monitoring their children’s attendance and providing valid excuses is essential for achieving the guide’s objectives. Furthermore, the ministry allows parents the right to appeal notification of absence within five working days, ensuring transparency and fairness in the enforcement of the policy.