'Education': Acceptance of 1,311 Appeals Against Teacher Redistribution Decisions - Sarmad

The Ministry of Education announced the completion of its review of appeal requests submitted by teaching staff members subject to redistribution decisions. This process was carried out by a specialized committee tasked with reviewing and categorizing the requests according to the nature of the cases and the approved criteria and controls, aiming to achieve a balance between the actual needs of schools and 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 the verification of requests and supporting documents to ensure they met the approved conditions and standards. This approach guaranteed fairness, objectivity, and uniformity in handling similar cases.

The Ministry explained that the appeal review was based on specific criteria and controls, including a distance of at least 16 kilometers between the residence and the new school, health conditions, cases involving care for persons with disabilities and special needs, health-related care, and social and family circumstances requiring consideration, all based on approved official documents and reports.

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

The Ministry emphasized that all appeal requests underwent review and verification in accordance with approved controls, and that rejected requests were found not to meet the specified conditions and standards after thorough study. It stressed that the results 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 decisions issued regarding them via the “My Decisions” service on the Ministry’s website. This is to complete administrative procedures related to releasing the previous post and commencing work at assigned schools, as per issued decisions. These procedures are conducted 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, eliminating the need to visit administrative offices and ensuring swift processing and continuity of school operations.

The Ministry also announced the results of the teaching staff redistribution following the completion of the appeal review. The percentage of teaching loads falling within appropriate limits reached 75% across all educational regions, compared to 34% before the plan’s implementation. This reflects the continued positive impact of the redistribution in promoting 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 indicated that the redistribution results showed an increase in the percentage of teachers whose teaching loads fall within 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 achieved 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 teaching staff.

Regarding the continued rise in teaching loads in certain subjects, the Ministry clarified that this is linked to shortages of teaching staff in some specializations. It noted that the redistribution has helped alleviate disparities and address part of the existing needs, while efforts continue to resolve the remaining shortages according to the specific requirements of each specialization. These measures support 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. This aligns 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. These actions aim to enhance equity in staff distribution and improve the efficiency of utilizing human resources and public expenditure.

The Ministry clarified that indicators in the reports showed a decline 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 persistent disparities in the distribution of teaching staff among schools and educational districts, underscoring 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 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 serve as references for international comparisons, taking into account differences in educational systems and calculation methodologies.

The Ministry emphasized 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. This is achieved through the optimal use of teaching staff and providing a stable educational environment that supports the quality of learning outcomes.

The Ministry emphasized that the plan for redistributing teaching staff represents a reformative step aimed at achieving equity and balance in teaching assignments, and enhancing the efficiency of utilizing human resources and public expenditure, thereby 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. It further affirmed that the plan’s objectives extend beyond organizing the workload of male and female teachers, to enhancing the stability of the educational process by distributing staff according to schools’ needs. This contributes to the regularity of school schedules and coverage of instructional hours, and provides a more stable educational environment that enables teachers to focus on fulfilling their educational and pedagogical missions, while supporting the quality of education provided to learners.

The Ministry of Education concluded by reaffirming its commitment to continuing the implementation of the administrative reform plan according to 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 ensure 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 objectives of all administrative reform and development measures.