By Dr. Mohammad Alwahaib
Kuwait University
Special to The Times Kuwait
At a time when many nations are struggling to preserve their identity amidst the rise of transnational ideologies, Kuwait has taken a bold and commendable step toward reclaiming its educational narrative. The recent reforms spearheaded by the Minister of Education, Dr. Sayyed Jalal Al-Tabtabaei—aimed at restructuring the content of textbooks from grade 1 to grade 9—mark a turning point in the country’s long-overdue effort to place patriotism and national consciousness at the heart of its educational system.
For too long, the Ministry of Education in Kuwait has been under the shadow of ideological domination, particularly by figures affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). This influence permeated not only administrative appointments and curriculum policies but also the very philosophy of education promoted within classrooms.
The MB’s ideological framework prioritizes the concept of the Islamic Ummah—a transnational, borderless religious community—over the modern nation-state. In doing so, it intentionally downplays the notions of citizenship, national loyalty, and civil identity. A Kuwaiti child, under this system, grows up being told he is first and foremost a Muslim in the ideological sense of the movement, not a Kuwaiti citizen with civic duties and rights tied to the soil, the flag, and the constitution.
This is not merely an academic matter; it is a question of national security and cultural integrity. The systematic erasure—or at best, marginalization—of national identity from educational discourse creates a vacuum where loyalty to the state is weakened, and ideological affiliations become stronger than patriotic ones. In such a context, it becomes easier for young minds to fall prey to sectarianism, extremism, and the romanticism of ideologies that see the state as an artificial construct, not a vessel of collective aspiration and shared destiny.
The move by the Minister of Education to overhaul the textbooks is, therefore, more than a bureaucratic adjustment—it is a cultural correction. It signals the reassertion of the state’s role in shaping citizens who are proud of their Kuwaiti identity, aware of their national history, and committed to their homeland’s future. By reinstating lessons on Kuwait’s history, civic duties, symbols, and the values of citizenship, the ministry is planting the seeds of belonging and responsibility in the hearts of the next generation.
This courageous reform must also be credited to the higher political leadership that empowered the minister and supported his vision. In a region where political will often succumbs to the pressure of ideological networks or religious populism, Kuwait’s leadership has shown rare clarity and commitment to national interests. It is an acknowledgment that the future of any country is written in the minds of its children—and those minds must not be outsourced to movements whose goals lie beyond the borders of the state.
Critics may cry foul and label these reforms as politically motivated, but such accusations ring hollow when viewed in light of the damage already done. For decades, education in Kuwait was not politically neutral—it was deeply ideological, but not in the service of the state. The MB influence turned schools into platforms for promoting a worldview that resented pluralism, viewed democracy with suspicion, and considered national allegiance secondary to religious allegiance defined on their terms.
It is not a coincidence that many of the proponents of this outdated vision are now opposing the reforms. What is at stake is not simply content in a textbook, but control over the soul of the nation. Kuwait has made the right choice: it has chosen sovereignty over submission, citizenship over indoctrination, and future over nostalgia.
Let us support this direction with full force. Let every teacher, parent, and policymaker recognize the value of instilling in our children the pride of being Kuwaiti. In doing so, we safeguard not only our present, but our posterity.
