COVID-19: Kuwait nurseries to reopen in June, conditions apply
Teachers, administrative staff need to be vaccinated and show proof of negative PCR test
Kuwait City: The Ministry of Social Affairs met with the Ministry of Health this week to discuss a plan to reopen preschools starting next month, local media reported.
The meeting comes after the COVID-19 Emergency Committee at the Ministry of Health announced last month that they have given preschools the green light to resume activity.
While children will be welcomed back into the classroom, each nursery will only be able to open after its teachers and administrative staff have been vaccinated and show proof of a negative PCR test before the restart operations.
In addition, the owners of the preschools are responsible for managing and ensuring that the health procedures are being followed, while the parents are in charge of following the health protocols with their children.
Nursery closures
Like schools and universities, pre schools have been closed over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the pandemic there were around 500 nurseries across Kuwait. But then in the past year, the Preschool Owners Forum (PFO) reported that 200 nurseries were shut for not adhering to health measures.
In addition, 100 closed their doors as they were over burdened with economic losses.
While the nursery owners have been affected by the loss, so have the 309,138 children between the age of zero and four that reside in Kuwait.
Kindergarten is a pivotal time in a child’s life as they learn developmental and social skills that serve as a foundation for their overall growth.
Although last month the government announced a plan to reopen schools in September, nurseries were not included in the plan as they are under the Ministry of Social Affairs, not the Ministry of Education.