Hey Raha blog · Saudi school life

Saudi remote learning guide for parents: Madrasati, timetables and what to expect

By Marie Adly · Last updated: 22 October 2026

Schools in Riyadh city and Diriyah governorate moved from in-person to remote study on Sunday 11 October 2026, and the Riyadh education administration extended this to Thursday 22 October 2026. Lessons run through the Madrasati platform and other approved platforms, on each school's normal timetable. There was no announcement about study after that date as of 14:40 (UTC+4) on 22 October 2026: nothing on the department's official X account since the 17 October extension, and The Saudi Times and Alweeam reported no arrangements beyond Thursday. Sunday 25 October is an extra holiday in the Ministry's regional calendars, so the next school day is expected to be Monday 26 October. Check the official Riyadh education account and your school's messages before then. Schools elsewhere in the Kingdom were not covered by this decision.

Saudi remote learning in 2026 at a glance

The Riyadh decision was announced by the General Administration of Education in Riyadh on its official X account. It described the move as part of the continued implementation of precautionary measures, and said it covers all students, teachers and administrative staff in the city of Riyadh and Diriyah governorate.

What Madrasati is

Madrasati (منصة مدرستي, "my school") is the Ministry of Education's national learning platform for public schools. The Ministry's own service page describes it as a free service, launched in 2020, used by more than 6 million students, in Arabic, on the web and on mobile apps.

According to the Ministry, a student can use Madrasati to:

• see the school timetable, with each subject and teacher
• download the weekly plans
• join live virtual classes
• see and submit homework, including homework from virtual lessons
• take tests set by the teacher and central tests set by the Ministry
• open digital textbooks for each course
• send a question, with an attachment, to a named teacher
• view reports, including attendance and absence
• raise a technical support ticket

During COVID-19 the Ministry expanded Madrasati so that millions of students could study from home in 2020 and 2021, and it has been used since for disruptions such as weather-related closures.

How to log in and find the timetable

The Ministry's service page gives these steps for students:

1. Get the login details. The student's Madrasati account details are in the Tawakkalna app (the student's or the parent's): open Education Services, then Madrasati information.
2. Log in and reset the password if needed. The Ministry FAQ says students and staff sign in with their Microsoft account (school email and password).
3. Find the timetable. Open My Services (خدماتي) to see the school timetable with subjects and teachers.
4. Find the weekly plan. Open Notifications, then View all notifications. The weekly plans appear there, and you can download them.
5. Join a lesson. Open Virtual Classes, then Join.
6. Check homework. The Assignments section has three tabs: core lesson homework, submitted homework and virtual lesson homework.
7. Get help. A technical support button sits at the bottom of the screen. The Ministry's helpline is 19996 and the email is support@moe.gov.sa.

The platform can also be reached from outside the Kingdom through a separate link on the Ministry page, which helps if a family is travelling. Parents and school administrators have their own sign-in option on the login page; reports differ on whether it uses Noor account details or the national single sign-on (UNCONFIRMED, we could not open the parent sign-in page).

Planned remote days in some regions

Separately from Riyadh, Okaz and Al-Watan reported on 17 and 18 October 2026 that the Ministry has set out a pilot of synchronous remote learning for the 1448 school year, of no more than 10 days, in the Makkah, Eastern Province, Tabuk and Najran education departments. As reported (UNCONFIRMED until checked against the Ministry's own guide):

• Three levels: 2 days set nationally, 3 days chosen by the regional education director, and 5 days chosen by principals of schools rated excellent or advanced.
• Days excluded: the first and last weeks of a semester, exam days, Sundays and Thursdays, and days just before official holidays or long weekends.
• Notice: dates are set before the semester starts and parents are told in advance. The usual timetable carries on.
• Scope: government, private and non-profit schools that use Madrasati.

Al-Watan also described an individual route: a student can be moved to remote study for medical, psychological or social reasons, with a parent request and supporting reports (UNCONFIRMED).

International and private schools

The Riyadh decision covered all schools in Riyadh city and Diriyah. International schools that do not use Madrasati teach through their own learning platform, and each school sends its own timetable, links and attendance rules by email or through its parent app. If your child is at an international school, the school's message is the one to follow for the class links. Our guides to IB school calendars in the GCC and CBSE school calendars in the GCC cover how those schools set their own term dates.

Setting up a remote school day at home

What helps most is the same at every age:

• The night before: charge the device, check the next day's timetable and weekly plan, and note any lesson that needs a book, worksheet or craft materials.
• One quiet spot: a table, a stable connection and headphones for older children. Younger children do better near an adult.
• Log in early: 10 minutes before the first lesson, so a password reset or app update does not eat into class time.
• Breaks away from the screen: water, a snack and some movement between lessons.
• Homework check at the end of the day: open the Assignments section together, so nothing waits until the weekend.

Our remote learning day checklist puts all of this on one printable page.

Every link and timetable in one place with Raha

On a remote day, the hard part is rarely the lesson itself. It is finding the right link, the changed timetable or the worksheet a teacher mentioned in an email two days ago. Hey Raha reads your school emails, read-only. She resurfaces every lesson link and schedule the school sends by email, spots changes such as an extension or a new timetable, updates your family plan and tells you on WhatsApp. Your nanny or helper gets her own version, with the day's timetable and the links she needs to set up each lesson, without fees or private notes. Links that only appear inside Madrasati stay in Madrasati, and the brief tells her where to find them. Try Hey Raha free for 14 days. If school email already feels like too much, our guide to too many school emails has ways to cut it down.

When a nanny or helper runs the school day

If you are at work, your nanny or helper can run the day without you stepping in, as long as she has three things: the timetable, a way into each lesson, and a clear plan for what to do if something fails. Keep the passwords yourself and stay signed in on the child's device, so she does not need them. Our guide to remote learning with a nanny or helper has a full brief you can copy, and our guide to briefing your nanny or helper on the school week covers the in-person weeks.

Saudi remote learning FAQ

Are Riyadh schools remote after 22 October 2026?
As of 14:40 (UTC+4) on 22 October 2026, the General Administration of Education in Riyadh had not announced whether study after Thursday 22 October will be remote or in person. Its last decision, posted on its official X account on 17 October, extended remote study until 22 October for Riyadh city and Diriyah. Sunday 25 October is an extra holiday in the 1448 calendar (reported for Riyadh), so the next school day is expected to be Monday 26 October. Check the administration's official X account (@MOE_RYH) and your school's messages before then.

What platform do Saudi schools use for remote learning?
Public schools use Madrasati, the Ministry of Education's free national platform, along with other approved educational platforms. The Riyadh decision named both. International schools that do not use Madrasati teach through their own platform, and the school sends the links and timetable.

How does my child log in to Madrasati?
The Ministry says the student's account details are in the Tawakkalna app, under Education Services, then Madrasati information. Students sign in with their Microsoft school account and can reset the password after the first login. If the login fails, use the technical support button on the platform or call the Ministry on 19996.

Where is the timetable and the weekly plan in Madrasati?
The timetable is under My Services (خدماتي), with each subject and teacher. Weekly plans are under Notifications, then View all notifications, and can be downloaded. Live lessons are under Virtual Classes, then Join.

Will remote days be planned in advance in other regions?
News reports say the Ministry has set out a pilot of up to 10 synchronous remote days in the 1448 school year in Makkah, Eastern Province, Tabuk and Najran, with dates fixed before the semester and parents told in advance. Sundays, Thursdays, exam days and the first and last weeks of a semester are reported to be excluded. This is UNCONFIRMED until checked against the Ministry's own guide.

Sources

• General Administration of Education in Riyadh, official X post, 17 Oct 2026
• Arab News, Riyadh, Diriyah schools extend remote learning for another week, 17 Oct 2026
• Al-Ain, Riyadh education department extends remote study, Oct 2026
• The Saudi Times, remote learning for Riyadh and Diriyah schools continues through Thursday, October 22, Oct 2026
• Alweeam, remote study on 19 October 2026 in Riyadh and Diriyah
• Ministry of Education, Qassim education department, extra holidays for 1448-1449 (26 Aug 2026)
• Ministry of Education, e-learning service (Madrasati), accessed 22 Oct 2026
• Ministry of Education FAQ, signing in to Madrasati
• Okaz, remote learning pilot, 18 Oct 2026
• Al-Watan, remote learning rules, 17 Oct 2026

Related: Saudi school holidays 2026-27 · UAE remote learning guide · Remote learning day checklist

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