School upgrades include ACs, buses, and cleaning staff boost

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Public schools across Bahrain will witness the country’s largest ever expansion in inclusive education this September, with new infrastructure, dedicated classrooms for students with disabilities, and sweeping upgrades in school services, the Minister of Education confirmed yesterday.

His Excellency Dr Mohamed bin Mubarak Juma said the 2025-2026 academic year will be “qualitatively different” due to major reforms targeting students with autism, intellectual disabilities, and other special needs. The initiative, backed by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, aims to improve support services across all government schools.

As part of this reform, 23 fully equipped and furnished classrooms dedicated to students with autism and intellectual disabilities will be opened. This marks the biggest such expansion in Bahrain’s education history.

“These new classrooms come in addition to the existing ones and reflect our growing commitment to inclusive learning,” Dr Juma said.

He added that comprehensive educational plans are being developed to better support students with special needs, underlining the ministry’s parallel focus on inclusive and high-quality education delivery.

The ministry has also finalised plans to increase the number of school buses for students with special needs, with each bus fully equipped to meet safety and accessibility standards.

Transport lines are also being expanded for the general student population, including new routes serving recently developed urban areas. These changes will raise the number of students benefiting from government transport services to more than 50,000 across the Kingdom.

To improve school environments, nearly 6,000 new air-conditioning units are being installed in public schools. This adds to the 5,000 units already fitted last year. Special teams have been assigned to inspect and ensure the efficient operation of cooling systems before the new term begins.

Another major upgrade involves increasing the number of cleaning staff in every public school. From the upcoming year, each school will have four to nine cleaners, up from just two to four in previous years. This change is expected to significantly improve hygiene standards and the overall school environment.

Dr Juma praised the ministry’s internal teams for accelerating preparations ahead of the new academic year. He said ongoing maintenance and preventive checks are under way at all government schools, with further details on the school year’s launch expected soon.