A comprehensive look at the education system in Kuwait: development and challenges

The issue of educational reform is an issue for every society and even every country, as all societies seek to develop education in order to prepare a good and balanced person capable of providing everything new to his country. Education has become one of the most prominent priorities that all countries compete to care about, invest in and develop to keep pace with all developments in all fields. Needless to say, the most successful countries are those that have directed their investment and efforts towards developing education and their educational system. Therefore, we conclude from the above that the relationship between education and development is an interconnected relationship, so all countries seek to develop their education, led by the Kuwaiti government, which always seeks to develop the educational system in Kuwait for the growth and prosperity of the country. We find that some countries have been able to achieve prosperity and economic and social growth through education, as education is the basic pillar on which the renaissance of any country is based.

Stages of development of the educational system in Kuwait:

Education in the State of Kuwait is one of the most important areas that the state cares about, as the percentage of spending on Kuwaiti education represents 6.3% of the country’s gross national product. In addition, Article 40 of the Kuwaiti Constitution stipulates that education is a right for all citizens of the State of Kuwait, as the State of Kuwait guarantees education for its citizens and provides it to them on a mandatory basis until the end of secondary school, but the stages that follow secondary school are non-mandatory stages, and we mean by that optional.

The educational system in Kuwait went through two stages. The first stage represents the period before formal education, where students studied and learned through the Kuttab. The second stage represents the formal schools. The first formal school was established in 1911. This formal school was called Al-Mubarakiya School, which was the cornerstone upon which the educational system in Kuwait was built. After the establishment of Al-Mubarakiya School, schools were established in succession, and the educational system developed significantly, as schools spread. This educational development in Kuwait was crowned by the establishment of Kuwait University in 1966.

Kuwait is always keen to invest in its educational system:

The State of Kuwait is considered one of the most prominent Arab countries that has invested generously in its education, as its total spending on education at all levels amounted to approximately 2,600 million dollars according to 2003/2004 figures. This means that 13.7% of the state’s public spending goes to spending on education, which amounts to 6.3% of the state’s gross domestic product. The educational system in Kuwait includes approximately 1,029 public and private schools that provide education to more than 540,000 male and female students. The average cost of educating a single student in the educational system in Kuwait at the four levels of education is approximately 4,700 dollars. More than 30,000 male and female teachers are employed, and more than 18,000 administrative employees serve those teachers.

Therefore, we conclude from the above that the educational system in Kuwait possesses all the international standards for providing good education. However, despite this, reports on the study of general education indicators revealed the opposite, as these reports indicate the risks facing general education in the State of Kuwait at its various stages, starting from kindergarten to secondary school, although these reports did not focus clearly on indicators of academic achievement and their evidence or the methods that should be followed to treat them scientifically.

The educational system in Kuwait and its sad reality

The challenges of the educational system in Kuwait , which were revealed by the General Education Indicators Study Report, are not much different from the problems of education in most Arab countries, due to the similarity of conditions in most countries. But what are the results and indicators revealed by this report?

The report pointed out several important matters, namely:

• Despite the huge spending and investment in the educational system in Kuwait at all levels, salaries take the largest share of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education’s budget, which in turn leads to only a small portion of the budget remaining for other educational needs such as goods, services and equipment.

• The level of academic achievement of Kuwaiti male students is low compared to Kuwaiti female students at all educational levels and all subjects. The failure rate of Kuwaiti students in secondary school has risen to one-fifth, especially among male students. Dropout rates have also increased, especially in secondary school. Reports have also indicated that the rate of completion of secondary school by Kuwaiti male students is half the rate of female students. These negative phenomena are increasing over time.

• The phenomenon of reducing the number of teaching hours in government schools is widespread, compared to the official number of hours allocated for teaching. It is also worth noting that the number of teaching days in Kuwait is one hundred and sixty days, which is of course much less than the number of teaching days globally, as the global average is two hundred days of teaching throughout the year.

• Despite the huge investment in the education system in Kuwait and the interest in educational development in Kuwait, and despite the high number of teachers compared to other countries, evidence points to poor academic achievement.

• Increased interest in private education, which led to its growing status, as the number of private schools reached more than a third, and this increase is matched by the Kuwaiti citizens’ interest in private education.

Summary of the problems and challenges of the educational system in Kuwait:

The problems of the educational system in Kuwait can be summarized in several axes, namely:

• Lack of knowledge and experience in addition to low level of skills.
• High rates of failure and dropout from education.
• Despite the constant interest in educational development in Kuwait, and the pursuit of advanced educational curricula, there is an imbalance in educational curricula.
• Teachers are busy teaching.
• The lack of tools for measuring and periodically evaluating the performance of the educational system in Kuwait.

Stages of development of the educational system in Kuwait in more depth:

The educational system in Kuwait went through two stages, the first stage is the mosque stage or the Mutawwa stage, then the second stage is the formal education stage, and they are in detail:

As in all Islamic countries, mosques are considered the first buildings to exist in any Islamic country. The role of mosques was not limited to leading prayers only, but extended to include teaching religion and reading the Qur’an. Therefore, mosques are considered the first stage in the educational system in Kuwait. Education at this stage was conducted by a full-time teacher, and this stage was similar to the Kuttabs found in other countries. However, with the development of Kuwaitis’ lives and their interest in trade, integration with other cultures, and travel to distant countries, there became an urgent need to develop the educational system and strive for advanced educational curricula .

One of the most important things that the educational system in Kuwait cared about during the mosque or Mutawwa stage was teaching handwriting with good and beautiful performance, as the owner of beautiful handwriting was in great demand to work with merchants. Learning diving calculations and how to divide money between ship owners and sailors was also a matter of great importance. This was accompanied by the necessity of learning plaster calculations, which are used to build and paint houses, in addition to learning the calculation of grease, which was a basic commodity in Kuwaiti trade.

The first regular school in the history of the educational system in Kuwait was established in 1911, and it was called Al-Mubarakiya School, but why was it called that name? Al-Mubarakiya School was named after Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah - may God have mercy on him - and the first director of Al-Mubarakiya School was Sheikh Youssef bin Issa Al-Qanaei. Since its establishment, the school was based on aid and contributions from citizens, which were represented in donations, in addition to student registration fees. Al-Mubarakiya School remained on this system until the Education Council, which is currently the Ministry of Education, annexed it in 1936 so that it would be under government management. Then teaching continued at Al-Mubarakiya School until 1985, but after that the school building was used to establish the Central Library in Kuwait.

Then, in 1921, Al-Ahmadiyya School was established, which was an extension of the achievements and role of Al-Mubarakiya School. This school included new students, and its curriculum included modern sciences in addition to the English language, which was rejected in Al-Mubarakiya School. During this period, many changes occurred in the educational system in Kuwait, as the American Mission School was opened in 1917.

It is the first school to teach English in Kuwait, and the first library, Beit Ali Al-Amer, was established.

Educational and teaching development in Kuwait:

The development of the educational system and the educational system in Kuwait took two directions:

• The first trend: is the development in quantity, and in this trend the number of schools increased, and the number of their male and female students, as well as student missions, and buildings expanded and school equipment developed, and this in turn led to a change in the structures of educational administration to match the development of the educational system in Kuwait, and multiple administrations appeared, which led to the emergence of educational regions in Kuwait, which was considered a shift from centralization to decentralization in educational administration, and then the academic educational ladder in Kuwait was completed by establishing Kuwait University.

• The second trend: development in quality. This trend has appeared prominently in the development of educational objectives, whether general or specific, in addition to the development of educational planning, and the provision of advanced educational curricula, in addition to the development of types of education, updating school books, and expanding the advancement of teachers’ level and preparation, in addition to the advancement of educational and pedagogical services and tests, and the development of transportation and library policy.

History of the educational system in Kuwait:

To facilitate the study of the history of the educational system in Kuwait, we can divide it into three stages:

• The first stage: from independence in 1380 AH 1961 AD until the Curriculum Conference 1392 AH 1972 AD. During this period, the State of Kuwait completed its educational system and defined many of its educational and pedagogical goals, as Kuwait began to plan for the future of its education in depth, and was keen to follow up on its services more consciously.

• The second stage: between the years 1392 - 1410 AH (1972 - 1990 AD), during which period the educational system in Kuwait set its educational goals, and completed the five-year plans in all aspects of education, and also determined the desired goals of each stage, and education in Kuwait proceeded on the path of qualitative development with a group of educational experiments, in addition to expanding the conclusion of cultural agreements and cooperation with all state institutions in order to establish an educated society.

• The third stage: after 1410 AH (1990 AD), in which the results of the Iraqi invasion appear clearly, as the Iraqi invasion led to many negative effects on education in Kuwait, in addition to the efforts made after the Iraqi invasion in order to return to the educational system in Kuwait, after the social, economic and demographic changes that occurred in the State of Kuwait at that time.

Literacy and Adult Education in Kuwait:

In the mid-twentieth century, initiatives to eradicate illiteracy and educate adults in Kuwait were nothing more than personal initiatives and individual desires undertaken by some due to their need to learn. However, in 1369 AH 1950 AD, the first attempts at adult education and literacy appeared, which was represented by an initiative by the Islamic Guidance Society, which sought to establish a private school to eradicate illiteracy. Adults between the ages of twelve and twenty-five were taught there.

This school continued until 1962, and education there included learning to read, write, and arithmetic, in addition to studying the Holy Qur’an. However, when the first independent government was established in Kuwait, supervision of adult education and literacy programs was transferred to the Ministry of Education in 1961, which then completed the task of eliminating illiteracy alone.

Does the education system in Kuwait allow private lessons?

Although private lessons in Kuwait are not criminal, they are heavily regulated by the Kuwaiti government through:

• The educational system in Kuwait does not allow private lessons to be given except by teachers who have been officially accredited by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education and have licenses to give private lessons.

• Private tuition fees are regulated by the Kuwaiti government and must be approved by the Ministry of Education in Kuwait.

• The educational system in Kuwait does not allow private lessons to be given in homes or other private places. Private lessons must be given in a public place such as schools or educational centers.

Dear mother, do you feel anxious when your children go out to attend private lessons? Now you can check on them and their academic achievement. How is that?

The Madrasa.com platform provides a group of the best teachers in all fields and various educational subjects, which in turn enables your children to receive their private lessons at home and at any time that suits them, as the Madrasa.com platform can provide the following:

• Teachers on the Madrasa.com platform can change their teaching methods according to the learners’ needs, their academic level, and their understanding of the educational materials.

• Madrasa.com teachers can provide students with the necessary support by giving them the opportunity to ask more questions that arouse their curiosity and require reliable answers from teachers, and thus receive immediate answers from Madrasa.com teachers.

• Moreover, teachers on the Madrasa.com platform provide a suitable environment for learners, full of stimuli, so that learners remain enthusiastic and attentive throughout the learning process.

• Finally, Madrasa.com teachers can help their students develop various educational skills that will serve as the foundation upon which their academic endeavors will depend later on.

Does the educational system in Kuwait care about e-learning and distance learning?

Kuwait is considered one of the most prominent countries that have paid attention to e-learning, as it has invested heavily in distance learning and e-learning . This in turn has led to an increase in the number of applicants to receive e-learning, as e-learning provides many advantages compared to traditional education based on classrooms. The most important advantages of e-learning and distance learning are the following:

• E-learning is one of the most flexible types of learning, as it is suitable for students. They can study and access educational materials at any time and in any place, using teaching methods that suit their development and level of achievement.

• In addition to the above, e-learning is less expensive than traditional learning, as e-learning does not require additional expenses for maintaining classrooms or even hiring teachers.

• One of the most prominent advantages of e-learning is that educational resources, study materials and various learning sources can be accessed from anywhere connected to the Internet with ease.

• In e-learning, students can choose the courses and subjects that suit their educational level and that they wish to study.

• E-learning also provides learners with a distinct and more private educational experience compared to traditional education classes, as e-learning provides students with full attention from teachers.

From the above, it is clear to us that the educational system in Kuwait greatly supports e-learning and distance learning. Kuwait has also set a goal of making e-learning available in Kuwait via the Internet for all its citizens. Therefore, we find the Kuwaiti government striving to develop e-learning platforms in cooperation with specialized companies and institutions. The Kuwaiti government also provides huge financial incentives to companies specialized in e-learning in order to invest in e-learning and develop distance learning.