Kuwait Information Guide

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Education in Kuwait
School attendance in Kuwait is compulsory for all children between the ages of six and fourteen, but public education is provided free to Kuwaiti children only. All Schools, whether public or private, are regulated by Ministry of Education (ME). The Kuwaiti educational system, after kindergarten, consists of elementary, intermediate and secondary levels, each of four years duration.

Nursery & Kindergarten
The Ministry provides free kindergartens for Kuwaiti children between the ages of four and six. There are a large number of expatriate schools for expatriate children, aged between two and four years.

Elementary, Intermediate & Secondary Education
Primary education is a right and is offered free of charge by the State. It is obligatory for all Kuwaitis from the age of six to 14 attend school - primary school to the intermediate school. Attendance at state schools is restricted to Kuwaiti children, the children of teachers working for  the ME and the children of expatriates who obtained residence prior to 1960. 

All expatriate children must be educated privately. All foreign schools in Kuwait must be accredited to the private Education Department (PED) of the ME. The ME also regulates school fees. Private schools for non-Arabic children follow their home country  curricula, such as American, British, French, German, Indian, Pakistani, etc, though all schools are also obliged to incorporate local cultural and language studies in to their curricula. Standards achieved compare favorably with those in the pupils' home countries.

Private Arabic schools receive some government support, such land to build schools and free text books but very little assistance is provided for non-Arabic schools.Fees for non-Arabic private schools very widely. Transport by bus to and from school is extra. Normally the costs of textbooks and writing materials are not included in the fees, and additional fees are charged for sports and other extracurricular activities.

The academic year runs form late August or early September to mid-June. Expatriate schools usually have three days off in October, breaks twice a year of a fortnight each , and official holidays. The school week is Saturday through Wednesday. The school day usually begins 7:45am and finished at 2pm, though these timings vary a bit between schools.

Higher Education
Education beyond school level is regulated by the Ministry of Higher Education (MHE). The country has one university and several technical school. Kuwait University was established in 1966, with the aim of providing academic, professional and technical rehabilitation, and supplying the country with scientifically and practically qualified manpower in different fields. Kuwait University is open to expatriate students, provided their grades meet the requirements for admission. State-funded adult education and vocational training is provided by the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). PAAET has several full-time colleges as well as field and industrial training centers, where studies, may learn technical and professional subjects including teaching, commercial studies, nursing, and mechanical and electrical trades.

Additionally, there are several private institutions in the country that offer a variety of full and part-time courses in various subjects such as business studies, secretarial skills, computing and languages.

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