Ramadan 2025: Uptick in school absenteeism in Kuwait

Cairo: Several public schools in Kuwait have seen high absence rates during Ramadan, a phenomenon recurrent on religious and national occasions, a Kuwaiti newspaper has reported.

But the phenomenon has taken an upward trend this Ramadan, starting with varying rates in the first days of the holy month, then gradually increased until many classes have become empty of students, said Al Rai that did not give specific figures.

During Ramadan, which this year began on March 1, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk everyday.

Huda Al Haddad, a former psychological consultant at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education, called school absenteeism a "negative phenomenon". 

In her opinion, the primary cause of the trend is the lack of discipline within families. "Family heads bear responsibility for this phenomenon. They have no excuse, especially after receiving absence notifications via the (government) Sahal app," she said.

In addressing the absence behaviour, the Ministry of Education has introduced a set of measures.

They start with deducting half a grade from each subject for each student who is absent for three days without an excuse. The student is expelled if his/her absence reaches 15 days.

However, some school administrations may be lax in implementing these measures, according to Al Haddad.

Students sometimes agree among themselves on social media to be absent collectively from the class so as to escape punishment.

The ministry had earlier introduced an absence app on its official website, which allows parents to monitor their children from inside or outside the country using the student's or guardian's civil ID number and password.

The app provides complete student data, including daily absence numbers, behaviour and evaluation reports, summonses, expulsions, class schedules, and sick leave. The set-up keeps parents constantly informed.