The Ministry of Education announced the new academic year 2008-2009 will start nationwide as of September 6, stressing that Ramadan month will be the first month in the first semester that lasts for 90 days.

Though the ministry announced the timing for the new academic years, students and parents complain that the results of examinations for the final basic and secondary school certificates have not been announced yet.

However, officials at the Ministry of Education stress that the correcting process is ongoing in accordance with the set plans, hinting that results of the academic year 2007-2008 for the basic and secondary education will  be announced before Ramadan.

They continued that over 5,000 competent teachers of both sexes are performing this noble and national task.

This comes at the time the country witnesses big challenges in basic and secondary schooling due to overcrowded classes; some classes hold over 90 students when the international measures set the capacity at 25.

Most schools suffer from the shortage of qualified teachers, especially for scientific subjects. This problem is worse in remote areas where a few teachers exist.

Meanwhile, the ministry is seeking to train over 15,000 teachers nationwide and it has ambitious programs to re-qualify the first three grades teachers as well as all subjects' teachers.