"Education" Launches Kuwait Award for Educational Excellence to Honor 54 Winners - Sarmad

(KUNA) – The Ministry of Education announced the first Kuwait Award for Educational Excellence to honor excellence and creativity in the educational field, reflecting the ministry’s commitment to recognizing national competencies, encouraging high-quality initiatives, and supporting distinguished educational practices. These efforts aim to contribute to achieving sustainable development goals and align with Kuwait’s vision of building a world-class education system.

In a press release on Wednesday, the Ministry stated that Minister of Education Sayed Jalal Al-Tabatabai issued a ministerial decision outlining the award’s conditions and regulations, specifying eligible categories, the number of winners, monetary prize values, as well as participation criteria and evaluation and adjudication mechanisms to ensure equal opportunities and reinforce principles of transparency and objectivity in selecting winners.

The award comprises three main categories, with a total of 54 winners nationwide from public schools, religious education institutions, and special education schools, distributed according to the geographic jurisdiction of each educational region. The categories include the Distinguished Learner, the Distinguished Teacher, and the Distinguished School Administration.

The Distinguished Learner category covers primary, intermediate, and secondary stages, with three winners per educational region, totaling 18 winners across the six educational regions. Each winner receives a prize of 1,000 Kuwaiti dinars (approximately $3,300 USD).

The Distinguished Teacher category also covers the three educational stages, with two winners per educational region, totaling 12 winners nationwide. Each winner receives a monetary prize of 3,000 dinars (approximately $10,000 USD).

The Distinguished School Administration category includes the principal and three assistant principals from primary, intermediate, and secondary schools, with one winning school administration per educational region. Each winning administration comprises four awardees: the principal and three assistant principals, bringing the total number of winners in this category to 24 across the six educational regions. The winning principal receives 2,000 dinars (approximately $6,600 USD), while each assistant principal receives 1,000 dinars (approximately $3,300 USD).

The ministry specified that applicants for the Distinguished Learner category must be Kuwaiti nationals, possess an outstanding behavioral record, and have no school disciplinary sanctions or decisions issued against them by the school disciplinary council. Additionally, they must have achieved a minimum of 95 percent of the total marks in all academic subjects during the three academic years preceding the nomination.

Regarding the Distinguished Teacher category, the ministry highlighted key eligibility criteria: applicants must be Kuwaiti nationals, currently employed by the ministry at the time of application, and have received an actual performance evaluation rated as “excellent.” This evaluation must be based on actual performance rather than honorary or exceptional assessments.

Applicants must not have previously participated in the Distinguished Teacher category or won the Kuwait Award for Educational Excellence in the same category within the period specified by the regulations. They must also have a minimum actual service duration in the education sector as stipulated in the executive regulations.

Furthermore, applicants must not have been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude or breach of trust, unless their reputation has been fully restored. They must provide a recent “no criminal record” certificate issued via the “Sahel” application. Additionally, they must not have been subject to a disciplinary sanction that bars promotion, in accordance with Articles 67 and 68 of the Civil Service Regulations.

Regarding the category of outstanding schools, the Ministry clarified that one of the participation conditions is that the school must be a public institution under the Ministry of Education, must not have previously won or participated in the Outstanding Schools Competition, and must possess a distinguished and documented performance record, supported by evidence and proof demonstrating the quality of its practices and outcomes.

It further explained that the applying school must achieve a distinguished level in the quality of education and learning, demonstrate a clear and measurable impact on improving student learning, and excel in school leadership, the educational environment, and student care. Additionally, no final administrative or disciplinary sanctions should have been issued against the school during the period specified in the regulations, and the school must adhere to the approved evaluation, judging, and field visit standards for the award.

The Ministry of Education indicated that the nomination process will be conducted electronically through the dedicated platform, with applicants registering online and their official data automatically retrieved from the Ministry’s systems. Required documents for each evaluation criterion will be uploaded, ensuring streamlined procedures, data accuracy, and standardized application pathways.

The Ministry emphasized that the award is based on a comprehensive system of standards that enhance quality, innovation, sustainability, digital transformation, governance, institutional leadership, and the creation of sustainable educational impact. This contributes to building leading educational environments, empowering national talent, developing institutional performance, improving educational outcomes, and enhancing the readiness of educational institutions to keep pace with future developments.