400,000+ students return to school after 19 months

400,000+ students return to school after 19 months

KUWAIT: More than 400,000 students of public and private Arabic schools returned to campuses yesterday for the 2021-22 academic year after 19 months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Safe Education” project – a collaboration between the ministries of interior, education, health, and information – was launched to protect all students in education facilities from the coronavirus and prevent its spread. Some private foreign and bilingual schools had reopened on Sept 26 for in-person classes.

Education Minister Ali Al-Mudhaf affirmed yesterday that the ministry is ready for the beginning of the new school year, with all its challenges. “In the past six months, the ministry of education – in cooperation with the ministry of health – has worked on preparing schools and faculty members to provide a safe environment for everyone,” Mudhaf said during a visit to a number of schools.

“Cooperation with the ministry of health led to creating a new guidebook of safety measures, and we will reassess the situation at the end of the year to come up with appropriate decisions,” he said. “I am proud of what I saw today as it reflects the amount of work and dedication of all those concerned to assure a