History of Education
The development of the Kuwaiti educational system can be largely attributed to the wealth that oil has brought to the country.  In the period prior to the discovery of oil in Kuwait, in the early 1900s, a small number of Quranic schools known as Al-Katatib offered basic literacy training in the context of religious instruction and taught reading, writing, and some arithmetic. This system provided some formal schooling for nearly all boys and most girls. The economic and social conditions at the time did not require more than this. Wealthy families often sent sons abroad for further education.    Most Kuwaiti children who could not attend these schools were illiterate, learning from their families what they needed to survive. At the turn of the 20th Century, there were very few educational facilities in the country.  There was no public education for the first part of the century and funding for education came mainly from Kuwait’s wealthier private citizens.

Brisk trading and economic activity, however, changed all this and led to the establishment of the first school in Kuwait. In 1911, the Al-Mubarkiya School, followed by the establishment of the Al-Ahmadiya School in 1921. Both schools, however, concentrated merely on arithmetic and correspondence. In the 1930s, merchants established the Education Council and expanded the system to include four new primary schools, including one for girls.

A more structured education system came into being in 1936, when a Council of Education was set up. The government took control of education and had begun 17 schools by 1945.  As oil production picked up in the post-World War II era, the government began investing large sums of money into social services, and education was one of its top priorities.  By 1960, there were about 45,000 students enrolled in the Kuwaiti educational system, including 18,000 girls.

In 1956, the government adopted a major education plan that divided formal education into four categories: Kindergarten, with a duration of two academic years; Primary with a duration of four academic years; Intermediate, with a duration of four academic years; and Secondary, with a duration of four academic years. In the 1960’s, there were several more advances in education.  The constitution of 1962 stipulates that education is assured and promoted by the State, thus reflecting the belief that education is a fundamental right of all citizens.  Schooling was first made compulsory in 1965, and in 1967 a private school system re-emerged with the help of considerable government subsidies. The 1965 law, largely enforced, made education compulsory until the age of fourteen. A small system of private schools also developed. Public education, including preschool and higher education, was from the beginning free for all nationals and for many foreigners.

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