Kuwait: Stranded teachers to be considered to be on official, paid holiday

Kuwait City: The Acting Undersecretary of Kuwait’s Ministry of Education, Faisal Al Maqsid, issued a memo regarding the procedures as far non-Kuwaiti teachers and staff who are stuck abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic are concerned, Al Rai media reported.

Al Maqsid stated that according to the Cabinet of Ministers, all employees who left the country before March 12 and were unable to return due to the flight ban will be considered to be on official holiday. Therefore, they are entitled to their salaries.

Given that the new academic year is set to begin on October 4, many teachers are still stuck abroad. A few days ago, Al Maqsid told Al Jarida that the number of these teachers does not exceed 1,000 and that their absence will not have a significant effect on the education system.

In addition, he clarified that the decision on the return of the teachers stuck abroad is at the discretion of the health authorities.

Timeline of events for educational staff

On March 12, all schools were suspended and all educational staff travelling abroad found themselves stuck there as Kuwait airport was closed to all commercial flights. In June, five months after schools were closed, many private school teachers were laid off as schools were unable to pay their salaries.

Then in July, the Minister of Education, Dr. Saud Al Harbi, announced that the 2019/2020 school year had ended for public schools, and that all students’ grades will be based on their previous work. The ending of the year came after schools were suspended for more than five months.

A few weeks later, the Ministry of Education decided to reduce all private schools’ fees by 25 per cent. In response to the decision, the President of the Kuwait Union of Owners of Private Schools and Cultural Institutions, Omar Al Ghurair, announced that the union has submitted a grievance letter to the Ministry of Education.

In August, Kuwaiti authorities stopped renewing residency permits for non-Kuwaiti teachers stuck abroad.

At the end of August, the Kuwait Teachers Society directed harsh criticism towards the Minister of Education for his mismanagement of the education situation during the COVID-19 crisis.

Other challenges education staff have faced include being barred from travelling, as they were asked at passport control to present an exit visa from the Ministry of Education, and some found it difficult to renew their residencies due to bureaucratic challenges.