Saudi Arabia’s public schools opened their doors on Wednesday for the second semester of the 2025–2026 academic year, welcoming millions of students back to classrooms following the Eid Al-Fitr holiday. The return marks a defining chapter in the Kingdom’s newly reinstated two-semester academic calendar — a structural shift designed to provide longer, more focused periods of instruction and drive deeper learning outcomes across all grade levels.
Two Semesters, Deeper Learning
The Ministry of Education’s decision to revert from a three-semester format to a two-semester model was formally approved by the Council of Ministers ahead of the 2025–2026 school year. Under the revised calendar, the second semester runs from spring through June, offering an uninterrupted stretch of instruction that educators and policymakers believe is better suited to advancing academic achievement and examination readiness.
For students in critical examination years, the second semester carries particular significance. National assessments and standardised tests are concentrated in this period, and regional education directorates coordinated closely with schools to ensure full staffing and programme readiness ahead of opening day.
FARIS System Streamlines the Return
Behind the administrative infrastructure of this nationwide resumption, the Ministry of Education’s FARIS self-service platform has served as the operational backbone for hundreds of thousands of teachers and administrative staff. The digital HR system enables users to manage leave requests, update personal and banking records, issue salary certificates, and handle professional workflows entirely online — without the need to visit administrative offices in person.
As schools reopened after the Eid break, educators across the Kingdom logged back into the FARIS portal to resume their daily workflows, reflecting the depth of digital integration within Saudi Arabia’s education management infrastructure. The platform connects to multiple government systems, placing the Kingdom among regional leaders in digitalising public-sector human resources.
A System Built for Ambition
With more than six million students enrolled in public education and an AI-focused curriculum now embedded into the national programme for the first time, this semester represents a significant step in Saudi Arabia’s ongoing education transformation. The Ministry of Education has made clear that its ambitions extend well beyond the academic calendar — building a world-class system that prepares the next generation for the demands of the Kingdom’s rapidly evolving economy.
