Mafraq, Sept 21 (Petra) -- Eight primary schools serving 1,579 male and female students across the North West Badiah District have been transitioned to female-only teaching and administrative staff under a regional educational overhaul, local authorities said on Monday.

Manal Al-Hwaidi, district director, said the move aligns with a broader strategy by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development to feminize male primary schools ending at the sixth grade or below.

Al-Hwaidi explained that the restructuring updates official school staffing cards, allowing the directorate to reallocate surplus female teaching and administrative personnel, fill staff vacancies, and optimize instruction schedules. Male teachers previously assigned to these schools are being redistributed to administrative roles within schools and the district directorate.

The policy shift has yielded positive outcomes for students, Al-Hwaidi noted, pointing to higher enrollment figures and improved communication between schools and mothers.

Students have shown greater receptivity to female educators, leading to a drop in dropout rates, enhanced classroom discipline, higher attendance levels, and increased daily participation in academic activities, she added.

//Petra// AF