COVID-19: Kuwait announces plan for Grade 12 students

Kuwait City: Kuwait’s Ministry of Education has announced a plan for the continuation of the 2019-2020 for 12th grade students in public schools.

All Grade 12 students will be required to take four online classes a day and all subjects will be taught virtually. The grading mechanism will be as is: 25 per cent attendance, 25 per cent participation, 25 homework and 25 per cent for reports.

In addition, the ministry laid out a plan for the different tracks that are available for Grade 12 students: science, humanities and religion. Students in public schools have an option to choose which track they take, which is important for attending university in Kuwait, as it affects which major one can choose.

The decision came after the government announced on July 16 that the 2019-2020 school year would end, after all public schools were suspended on March 12 and the government extended the suspension until August 4.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Saud Al Harbi, proposed a report that suggested all students’ grades - kindergarten to Grade 11 - be based on the first semester and all students who have passed more than four subjects will move onto the next year. As for 12th graders, they are to continue the school year online and follow the grading mechanism outlined by the ministry.

These measures only affect Grade 12 students in public schools, as private schools enforced online learning for students so they could complete the school year.

As for the reopening of schools, Al Harbi proposed that the 2020-2021 school year will begin between October 4 and 11, but if the COVID-19 situation does not settle, then classes will be online. There has been no plan for the reopening of schools, both public and private schools.