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

The Ministry of Education announced the completion of its review of appeal requests submitted by teaching staff members affected by the redistribution decisions. This was carried out by a specialized committee tasked with reviewing and classifying the requests according to the nature of the cases and the approved criteria and regulations. The ministry noted that the review of the 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, thereby ensuring fairness, objectivity, and uniformity in handling similar cases.

The ministry clarified that the appeal review was based on specific criteria and regulations, including the distance between the residential address and the new school (not less than 16 kilometers), health conditions, cases involving care for persons with disabilities and special needs, health-related care cases, and social and family circumstances requiring consideration, all based on approved official documents and reports.

The ministry pointed out that some of these cases involved circumstances for which data is not available within the “Teacher Record” system, necessitating verification through the official documents and reports attached to the appeal requests to ensure accurate assessment of the cases and their compliance with the specified criteria.

The ministry emphasized that all appeal requests underwent review and scrutiny in accordance with the approved regulations, and that requests which were not accepted were found, after full review, to have failed to meet the specified conditions and standards. It stressed that the results of the appeal review were based on uniform standards, ensuring fairness and equal opportunity.

The Ministry of Education directed teaching staff members affected by the 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 releasing the previous post and commencing work at the assigned schools, as per the issued decisions. These procedures are to be completed electronically through the “Teacher and Administrative Record” system, where the principal of the previous school approves the release, and the principal of the new school approves the commencement of work. Biometric data is then automatically transferred electronically upon approval of the commencement, eliminating the need to visit administrative offices, thereby ensuring swift processing and continuity of work in schools.

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% prior to the implementation of the plan. This reflects the continued positive impact of the redistribution in enhancing fairness and balance in teaching loads among schools, and reinforcing the basis for distributing staff according to actual needs, while completing procedures resulting from the appeal outcomes without undermining the core objectives of the administrative reform plan.

The ministry explained that the redistribution results showed an increase in the percentage of male and female teachers whose teaching loads fall within the approved limits across all educational regions. The percentage 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 made in addressing disparities in teaching loads among schools, and in promoting a fair and balanced distribution of educational responsibilities, based on the number of classrooms, students, and the actual needs of each school. This contributes to enhancing the efficiency of utilizing available educational staff.

Regarding the continued increase in teaching loads in certain subjects, the Ministry clarified that this is linked to shortages in educational staff in some specializations. It noted 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 requirements in each specialization. This supports the regularity of classes and the stability of the educational process.

The Ministry of Education emphasized 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 reviewed the current distribution of human resources, analyzed the actual needs of schools, and taken 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 clarified that indicators in the reports showed a decrease in the average number of students per teacher nationwide, from five students in the 2022/2023 academic year to four students in the 2024/2025 academic year. This occurred alongside ongoing disparities in the distribution of educational staff among schools and educational districts, underscoring the importance of reorganizing human resources according to actual needs and enhancing the efficiency of utilizing available staff.

The Ministry of Education also noted that international indicators published in the OECD’s “Education at a Glance 2024” report show that the average number of students per teacher in OECD countries is approximately 14 in primary education, and 13 in middle and secondary education. 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 from oversight bodies regarding disparities in teacher distribution among schools and educational districts, and to enhance the efficiency of human resource planning based on actual needs. This aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, through the optimal use of educational staff and the provision of a stable educational environment that supports the quality of learning outcomes.

The Ministry stressed that the plan for redistributing educational staff represents a reformative step aimed at achieving equity and balance in teaching loads, and enhancing the efficiency of utilizing human resources and public expenditure. This contributes to supporting the State of Kuwait’s efforts to improve education indicators and strengthen its standing in international reports and assessments related to education quality and sustainable development.

The ministry affirmed that the objectives of the plan extend beyond organizing the workload of male and female teachers, to enhancing the stability of the educational process through the allocation of staff according to schools’ needs. This contributes to the regularity of school schedules and the coverage of instructional hours, while providing a more stable educational environment that enables teachers to focus on fulfilling their educational and pedagogical mission, and supports the quality of education provided to learners.

The Ministry of Education concluded by emphasizing its commitment to continuing the implementation of the administrative reform plan in accordance with clear and uniform standards, while persistently monitoring the outcomes of the redistribution and addressing existing needs in schools. This aims to enhance equity in the distribution of human resources, improve the efficiency of the educational process, and achieve school stability and regularity of instructional hours, based on the principle that the best interests of learners and the quality of education constitute the primary goal of all administrative reform and development measures.