COVID-19: E-learning for all students during semester one, says Kuwait Ministry of Education

Kuwait City: The Minister of Education. Dr. Saud Al Harbi, issued a ministerial decree that states all classes will be conducted online for the first semester, local media reported.

The decision will be revised in November and will take into account the health situation of the country.

In a press release, Al Harbi said that the decision affects public schools, religious centers, adult education centers and private schools that follow the Ministry’s school curriculum.

Al Harbi did not mention what will happen to private schools that do not follow the Ministry’s curriculum.

The Ministry of Education declared that the official hours for the 2020/2021 school year will be from 8:00am to 1:00pm.

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.

Reduction of fees

Last month, the Ministry of Education decided to reduce all public schools’ fees by 25 per cent. In retaliation 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.

“Those decisions were issued individually by the ministry without consulting the union in its capacity as the competent, accredited and representative authority for private school owners,” Al Ghurair told Al Anba.

The decision only affects private schools, as public schools are free of charge for Kuwaitis.

Preschools

Preschools and kindergartens have also been affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

According to a report by Al Anba, many preschool owners are concerned and frustrated over the continued closure of nurseries.

“We have been closed for 6 months and yet we need to pay salaries and rent, how are we supposed to do that?” one of the preschool owners told Al Anba.

Moudhi Al Amiri, another pre school owner, pointed out that preschools are vital in forming and nurturing a child’s personality and character, thus the continued closure will have a negative social effect on children.