Manama: Kuwait is planning to lower the mandatory schooling age to three in a bid to boost learning standards.
Under the plan, all Kuwaiti children from the age of three will have to go to kindergarten.
“The education ministry is currently studying the curriculum that the kindergartens will offer to their students. “The main role of the kindergartens is to help build the character of the children at an early age. Studies have indicated that investing in the early years of a child yields better results in supporting the crucial development of his abilities and strongly influences the next stages of learning,” Nayef Al Hajref, the education minister said, as he took a tour of kindergartens on their first day of the new academic year.
Kuwait’s laws currently require education from six years old. Lowering the age aims to support the crucial development of a young child’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical abilities.
Article 40 of the Constitution stipulates that “all Kuwaitis have a right to education, which is guaranteed by the state in accordance with the law and within the limits of public order and morality” and that “by law, primary education is compulsory and free.”
The ministry is also looking at restructuring learning in high schools and integrate e-learning in the education process. However, the minister stressed on the significance of ensuring the stability of the education system in Kuwait, the local Arabic daily Al Seyassah reported on Monday.
