The annual statistics issued by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) revealed that there are 221,820 children of school age in Kuwait who did not enroll in schools during 2023, including 60,790 children of primary school age, 81,180 middle school boys, and 79,850 students of secondary school age.
An educational source told Al-Rai daily that the numbers mentioned in the statistic include Kuwaiti and expatriate children. The source described the statistics as “frightening and offensive at the same time, as the number of students deprived of education did not exceed 12,000 in 2008,” stressing the need to enact legislative laws that oblige expatriates to teach their children.
The source pointed out that the ministry’s justified by saying that “the presence of a large number of children of some communities, are estimated in thousands, are studying in the (home education) system, and then taking the exams in their home countries although their residence permits remain valid.”
The source said, “The poor electronic linkage in the Ministry of Education, between public and private schools, has resulted in Kuwaiti students appearing in UNESCO statistics, which included a number of children of diplomats working abroad, some students enrolled in foreign schools, and a number of children whose families have disintegrated.” They are not enrolled in schools, due to the large number of divorce cases.
He added, “There are also cases of Kuwaiti students in the statistics, including some students with disabilities, and the state must support the private sector in attracting them with all their disabilities and categories,” stressing at the same time the importance of addressing administrative errors that led to the presence of some Kuwaiti students in the statistics, while they are enrolled in private schools.
The source concluded that “this number mentioned in the statistics means that the percentage of those deprived of education is equivalent to 10 percent, which is a very high percentage and harms the reputation of the educational system in Kuwait.”