Thobe or Suit for Male Teachers... and Modest Attire for Female Teachers
- Prohibition of sportswear, tight or ripped clothing, and concealing tattoos, with specific exceptions organized.
- Regulation of service staff uniforms, with adherence to occupational safety requirements during work.
- Application of school dress code controls to students at all times within the school and during activities.
- Requirement to wear loose, non-revealing attire within school disciplinary rules.
- Standardization of skirt length according to educational stage, with adherence to modesty and ease of movement.
The preliminary regulatory framework, proposed by the Ministry of Education to solicit feedback from educational field workers and benefit from their observations and proposals, stipulates that appearance must be generally modest, clean, and unobtrusive. It emphasizes personal hygiene, neat hair, and wearing appropriate work footwear. Sportswear, short, very tight, or ripped clothing is prohibited, and tattoos must be concealed if present. Physical education teachers are exempted and permitted to wear sportswear in accordance with the regulations.
Service staff are required to wear a dedicated or suitable uniform for the nature of their work, which must be clean and neat throughout their shift. They must adhere to occupational safety measures, such as gloves, masks, and protective equipment when necessary, in addition to wearing footwear suitable for their work.
Students are required to wear the approved uniform without modification. It must be loose, not tight or conspicuous, nor excessively tailored. Hair must be neat and not long enough to cover the eyes, neck, or extend beyond the ears. Buzz cuts or unusual hairstyles are prohibited, as is the use of gel, dyes, or colored extensions. Students must also wear closed-toe shoes in a non-conspicuous color, without excessive decoration.
According to the new preliminary regulations, students are prohibited from wearing large chains, bracelets, or rings, or any accessories with a showy nature or inappropriate for the school environment. The length of the loose skirt is standardized according to the educational stage: in primary school, it must cover the knees while sitting, while in middle and secondary schools, it reaches mid-calf, maintaining looseness and modesty. A white cotton headscarf is mandatory for all stages.
These controls are part of the school’s internal regulations and are binding on all staff, as they reflect the institution’s professional image. The administration has the right to issue warnings and take administrative measures in case of violations. These controls apply during official working hours and all school activities, with the administration granted the authority to permit special attire for events, depending on their nature and in compliance with regulations.
Furthermore, the regulations set detailed controls for the admission of non-Kuwaiti students into government schools. This includes exempted categories such as children of Kuwaiti mothers, children of Gulf Cooperation Council citizens, children of diplomats, children of non-Kuwaiti martyrs, and children of employees in certain educational, academic, and military entities, in accordance with existing ministerial decisions without alteration.
The regulations also organize the age ladder for new students or those wishing to re-enroll in all grades, from the first grade of primary school to the twelfth grade. It defines the conditions for exceptions regarding age deficiency, whether for students transitioning from kindergarten, those coming from home schooling, or those transferring from private education to public education.
Regarding transfers, the regulations distinguish between individual, collective, and educational transfers. The school administration may request an educational transfer for a student who violates rules and regulations, in order to change their environment and discipline their behavior, based on the opinion of the school’s disciplinary council. This requires a written commitment from the guardian to ensure the student’s behavioral compliance at the receiving school.
The regulation includes an annex concerning examination violations, which specifies the acts that constitute a violation and the procedures to be followed when they are detected. These violations include cheating or attempting to cheat, assisting others in cheating, bringing in means to facilitate cheating, providing an answer sheet or cheating aids to another student, writing a name other than one’s real name, removing an answer sheet or part of it from the examination room, and failing to comply with the instructions of the examination supervision committee.
The procedures stipulate that a report documenting the violation must be drawn up, signed by the invigilators and the committee chairperson, and accompanied by relevant supporting documents. The student’s statements are also recorded in writing, and any refusal to sign is duly noted. An appropriate decision is then taken in accordance with the type of violation and the category under which it falls.
The regulatory framework has set performance quotas for teachers and department heads across all educational stages, specifying the number of teaching periods and performance rates, ensuring a fair distribution of teaching loads based on the nature of the specialization and the school’s needs.
The regulation emphasizes the need to review performance rates and standards whenever any amendments are made to the curricula of scientific fields, to ensure alignment with changes and to maintain fairness in the distribution of teaching loads. It further stresses that a teacher’s workload in all specializations must not exceed 18 periods per week as a maximum, thereby preserving the quality of instruction and ensuring stability in the educational process.
