Kuwait City: Yesterday, 89,936 teachers and administrative staff returned to work after a six-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Al Rai daily reported.
A source within the Ministry of Education pointed out that various measures have been put in place to ensure the safety and health of the staff. Some of these measures include no more than 50 per cent capacity of teachers, sterilization of all schools and providing all schools with a budget for health requirements.
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As for new teachers, they will undergo administrative and technical lectures and workshops to introduce them to their job tasks, a source told Al Anba newspaper.
The return to schools came after the Ministry of Education announced that the new 2020/2021 academic year is set to begin on October 4. It is expected that around 106,400 students will enroll in 856 public schools.
Students will be conducting the first semester of the new school year online, as per the decision by the Minister of Education, Dr. Saud Al Harbi. In a press release, Al Harbi said that all public schools, religious centers, adult education centers and private schools that follow the Ministry’s school curriculum, will conduct classes online.
He added that the decision will be revised in November and will take into account the health situation of the country.
Last week, the Kuwaiti authorities stopped renewing residency permits of expats teachers stuck abroad, local media reported.
As for private schools, many teachers were laid off in June as schools were unable to pay salaries.
Schools closure
All schools are expected to resume on October 4, after a seven-month halt that began on March 12. Although schools were closed most private schools conducted e-learning classes throughout the pandemic and ended the school year on schedule.
As for public schools, last month, Al Harbi announced that the 2019/2020 school year, for public schools, has ended after schools were suspended since March 12. The government extended the suspension until August 4, but announced beforehand that the academic school year has ended.
All students’ grades, kindergarten to 11th grade, were based on the first semester and all students that have passed more than 4 subjects graduated to the next year. As for 12 graders, the ministry issued a plan for them to continue the school year so they can graduate.
