Kuwait: Education Minister Ali Al-Mudhaf on Thursday affirmed the resumption of study at schools from September through a well-studied plan for the safety of students in all grades. Regular study at schools has been suspended for more than a year across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The minister hoped conditions will be favorable for a safe return to schools, concurrently with vaccination campaigns carried out by the Ministry of Health (MoH) for all Ministry of Education (MoE) staff and students.

Speaking to Kuwait State Television, Mudhaf prioritized highly the health of students, adding that all matters are getting better and the ministry is doing its best for the safe conditions for 12th grade exams and all other grades. He revealed that the ministry has formed some committees of specialists to evaluate education in Kuwait.

He said the ministry is planning to develop the national council for education development and the higher council for education as well as an educational system for setting a specified and clear strategy to upgrade the position of education in international indicators.

The ministry has faced some challenges due to the coronavirus, and teachers and students have been trained on online education, Mudhaf said, noting that this kind of learning is not an alternative to regular education. He noted that exams of the 12th grade will be carried out on paper and not electronically, reassuring people about relevant health matters.

He affirmed that the MoE has worked with the MoH through some committees to set health measures to guarantee the safety of students. Up to 49,000 male and female students will take exams for the 12th grade. Every classroom will have only six students with the implementation of a two-meter social distancing between one student and another.

The minister pointed to some measures taken at schools, like wearing facemasks, using hand sanitizers and measuring temperature, in addition to the presence of a number of medical emergency teams. The MoE has provided MoH with names of all staff and students to be vaccinated, Mudhaf said.