Preparations for new academic year completed: official

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has completed all preparations for starting the new academic year on August 20 for administrative and teaching staff and on August 25 for students, a senior official said Tuesday.These preparations include preparing the buildings, classrooms, school furniture, printing and distribution of books on the first day of school, filling vacancies and checking the availability of school buses according to the geographical location of each school, Ibrahim bin Saleh al-Nuaimi, the Undersecretary at the ministry said.In a statement to Qatar News Agency, Nuaimi said the ministry will hold a press conference after the Eid al-Adha holidays to give more details about these preparations.He said five new schools will be opened in the the academic year 2019/2020. The new primary, preparatory and secondary level schools will be located in Al Wakrah, Muaither, Al Kheesa, Old Airport (Al Matar Al Qadeem) and Al Manaseer.The preparations for the new academic year are carried out in full co-operation and co-ordination between the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the General Directorate of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior, to ensure the safety of students and the school environment throughout the school year.The Public Works Authority Ashghal will also play a crucial role in terms of opening and maintenance of streets, bridges, tunnels and intersections, to ensure the smooth flow of traffic using a range of local roads and traffic diversions.As part of its preparations for the new academic year, the Ministry is launching its sixth edition of the campaign 'With Education We Build Qatar' from August 16 to 24, with the participation of many sponsors.The initiative aims to strengthen communication with all parties to prepare students for the new academic year and to provide them with the necessary advice and guidance and to remind them and emphasise the importance of moral and psychological readiness.The campaign also seeks to motivate the students to attend classes regularly and to urge parents and other partners to participate in the schools' activities to benefit from the support services provided to students and schools.