History of Education in Kuwait

The development of the Kuwaiti educational system can be largely attributed to the wealth that oil has brought to the country.  At the turn of the 20^th Century, there were very few educational facilities in the country.  A small number of Quranic schools known as Al-Katatib taught reading, writing, and some arithmetic.  There was no public education for the first part of the century and funding for education came mainly from Kuwait’s wealthier private citizens.

The government took control of education in 1939 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 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