Education Ministry: 1,311 Appeals Accepted Against Teacher Redistribution Decisions

The Ministry of Education announced the completion of its review of appeal requests submitted by teaching staff members subject to redistribution decisions. A specialized committee was tasked with reviewing and classifying these requests according to the nature of the cases and the approved criteria and regulations, aiming to balance the actual needs of schools with the legitimate humanitarian and social circumstances of teachers.

The Ministry clarified that the review of appeals resulted in the acceptance of 1,311 appeals registered in the electronic system, following a thorough examination of the requests, verification of supporting documents, and confirmation that they met the approved conditions and standards. This process ensured fairness, objectivity, and uniformity in handling similar cases.

The Ministry stated that the appeal review was based on specific criteria and regulations, including the distance between the teacher’s residence and the new school (not less than 16 kilometers), health conditions, cases involving the care of persons with disabilities and special needs, health-related care situations, and social and family circumstances warranting consideration, all based on approved official documents and reports.

The Ministry noted that some of these cases involved circumstances not reflected in the “Teacher Record” system, necessitating verification through the official documents and reports attached to the appeal requests to ensure accurate assessment and compliance with the specified standards.

The Ministry emphasized that all appeal requests were reviewed and audited in accordance with approved regulations. Requests that were not accepted were found, after full study, to have failed to meet the specified conditions and standards. It stressed that the results of the appeal review were based on uniform standards to ensure fairness and equal opportunity.

The Ministry directed teaching staff members subject to redistribution decisions, including those whose appeals were approved, to monitor the decisions issued regarding them via the “My Decisions” service on the Ministry’s website. This is to complete the administrative procedures related to contract termination and assuming duties at the assigned schools electronically through the “Teacher and Administrative Record” system. The previous school principal is responsible for approving the contract termination, while the new school principal approves the assumption of duties. Biometric data will be automatically transferred electronically upon approval of the assumption of duties, eliminating the need to visit administrative offices, thereby ensuring the swift completion of procedures and the continuity of school operations.

The Ministry also announced the results of the teaching staff redistribution following the completion of the appeal review. The proportion of teaching loads falling within appropriate limits reached 75% across all educational regions, compared to 34% before the implementation of the plan. This reflects the continued positive impact of the redistribution plan in enhancing fairness and balance in teaching loads among schools, and reinforcing the principles of staff distribution based on actual needs, while completing the procedures resulting from the appeal outcomes without undermining the fundamental objectives of the administrative reform plan.

The Ministry indicated that the redistribution results showed an increase in the proportion of teachers whose teaching loads fall within approved limits across all educational regions. Specifically, the proportion rose in the Capital Educational Region from 36% to 84%, in both the Farwaniya and Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational Regions from 38% to 82% each, in the Hawalli Educational Region from 32% to 73%, in the Ahmadi Educational Region from 36% to 70%, and in the Jahra Educational Region from 30% to 64%.

The Ministry confirmed that these indicators reflect the progress achieved in addressing the disparities in teaching loads among schools, and in enhancing the fair and balanced distribution of educational workloads, based on the number of classrooms and students and the actual needs of each school, thereby contributing to improving the efficiency of utilizing available teaching staff. Regarding the continued rise in teaching loads in certain subjects, the Ministry clarified that this is linked to shortages in teaching staff in some specializations, noting that the redistribution has helped alleviate disparities and address part of the existing needs, while efforts continue to address the remaining shortages according to the nature of the need in each specialization, thereby supporting the regularity of classes and the stability of the educational process.

The Ministry of Education affirmed that the administrative reform plan is part of its efforts to address observations raised in reports by oversight bodies concerning the efficiency of teacher distribution across educational districts, and to enhance the optimal use of human resources, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The Ministry has worked on reviewing the current state of human resource distribution and analyzing the actual needs of schools, and taking necessary regulatory measures to address disparities in teaching loads, thereby enhancing equity in staff distribution and improving the efficiency of utilizing human resources and public expenditure.

The Ministry explained that indicators in the reports showed a decline in the average number of students per teacher at the national level from five students in the 2022/2023 academic year to four students in the 2024/2025 academic year, alongside the continued disparity in the distribution of teaching staff among schools and educational districts. This underscores the importance of reorganizing human resources according to actual needs and improving the efficiency of utilizing available staff.

The Ministry of Education also noted that international indicators published in the “Education at a Glance 2024” report, issued by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), show that the average number of students per teacher in OECD countries is approximately 14 students at the primary level, and 13 students at the middle and secondary levels. These indicators are used as references in international comparisons, taking into account differences in educational systems and calculation methodologies.

The Ministry affirmed that referencing these indicators is part of its efforts to address observations raised in oversight reports regarding disparities in teacher distribution among schools and educational districts, and to enhance the efficiency of human resource planning according to actual needs, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, through the optimal use of teaching staff and providing a stable educational environment that supports the quality of learning outcomes.

The Ministry stressed that the plan for redistributing teaching staff represents a reformative step aimed at achieving equity and balance in teaching loads, and improving the efficiency of utilizing human resources and public expenditure, thereby contributing to supporting the State of Kuwait’s efforts to improve education indicators and enhance its standing in relevant international reports and evaluations concerning education quality and sustainable development.

She affirmed that the objectives of the plan are not limited to organizing the workloads of male and female teachers, but extend to enhancing the stability of the educational process by distributing staff according to schools’ needs, thereby contributing to the regularity of school schedules and the coverage of instructional sessions, and providing a more stable educational environment that enables teachers to focus on fulfilling their educational and instructional missions, and supports the quality of education provided to learners. The Ministry of Education concluded by reiterating its commitment to continuing the implementation of the administrative reform plan according to clear and uniform standards, while persistently monitoring the results of the redistribution and addressing existing needs in schools, thereby promoting equity in the distribution of human resources, raising the efficiency of the educational process, and achieving school stability and regularity of instructional sessions, based on the principle that the interest of learners and the quality of education constitute the primary goal of all administrative reform and development measures.