Parents of new students wishing to enroll in the first grade of elementary schools, early childhood schools, and kindergartens for the upcoming academic year faced difficulties accessing the registration system despite three days having passed since registration opened (last Sunday). A large number of parents were unable to complete the registration requirements through the Ministry of Education's registration portal, which was launched three years ago.

Parents expressed their hope for the establishment of a unified admission platform similar to the "Qabul" platform, which was launched for the admission of high school graduates to public universities, technical and vocational training colleges, and external scholarship programs, and has achieved great success since its launch in January 2023.

Difficulties Accessing the Platform

They told "Okaz" that it would have been possible to send the names of eligible students directly to the platform along with a message to the parent to complete the medical examination and other required admission procedures without the need for preliminary registration.

Several parents complained via social media about the difficulty of accessing the platform since the announcement of the registration launch last Sunday. They said they were surprised by the message "Cannot access the website," which forced some to remain in front of their computer and phone screens for long hours in hopes of being able to access the platform, with some staying up until the early morning hours.

Complaints from parents flooded the "x" platform, ranging from requests for the site to update data to being unable to complete the remaining registration procedures, while the registration period until schools reach capacity is limited, raising concerns among parents about enrolling their children in schools far from their residential area.

Fawaz Al-Zahrani (a parent) stated that it is impossible to proceed to the next steps after entering the ID and passing through the Nafath platform, as the user is redirected to an "Error" page. This issue recurs every time data is extracted for school results or registration. Complaints are submitted to the complaints and issues platform via the support ticket window, but support only comes after days, leaving parents wondering whether the issue lies with their internet connection or the platform, prompting them to retry outside peak hours.

"Education" Does Not Respond... "Okaz" Awaits

In contrast, "Okaz" contacted the Ministry of Education to obtain mechanisms for addressing the issue, but there was no response by the time this report was prepared. It is noted that the ministry has outlined the steps for registering new students for the new academic year, which include accessing "Nafath," agreeing to the terms and conditions, verifying the accuracy of basic information, selecting the eligible child for registration while accurately specifying the residential address and national address details, followed by arranging preferred schools in order of priority. Before all of this, a medical fitness examination must be conducted at approved health centers, indicating that registration for new students is available until April 30 of this year, with no priority for early registration, as registration can occur at any time during the available period.

The ministry confirmed that the medical examination (fitness), conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, is a prerequisite for registering new students in both kindergarten and elementary school (first grade) across various regions and governorates in schools to enhance student health and ensure a safe educational start. It pointed out that the fitness examination is a fundamental procedure for school registration and for ensuring the health of students, detecting any health issues early, which contributes to determining the optimal educational path for each student, whether in general education or special education, emphasizing the importance of parents' cooperation with schools and health centers to conduct medical examinations for their children.