UNESCO: Kuwait records near-complete female literacy rates
- The World Celebrates International Literacy Day “For People, Planet, and Prosperity”
The world today commemorates the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 1966 declaration designating September 8 as International Literacy Day, reminding peoples of the importance of this right as one of the fundamental human rights.
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Kuwait joins countries around the world in observing this day, which in 2026 will be held under the theme “Literacy for People, Planet, and Prosperity,” to remind policymakers, specialists, and the public of the importance of literacy in building more sustainable, equitable, peaceful societies, and in fostering reading and writing skills.
This year, the UN agency focuses its celebrations on assessing global progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and honoring the winners of UNESCO’s International Literacy Prizes, awarded to innovative programs in the field.
In Kuwait, this day coincides with a number of distinctive achievements aimed at enhancing the education process for all segments of society, through increased budgetary allocations for the sector, as well as vigorous efforts to reduce the country’s illiteracy rate and the opening of several specialized centers for adult education.
According to UNESCO’s 2024 data, Kuwait has recorded near-complete literacy rates among women, with rising enrollment in higher education, particularly in scientific fields, where the proportion reached approximately 2 percent, while the male illiteracy rate stood at about 0.14 percent.
Since the dawn of its renaissance, Kuwait has recognized the importance of education, prioritizing it and facilitating all necessary means. This was accompanied by similar attention to providing educational opportunities for generations of parents who missed out on schooling; thus, the Ministry of Education opened literacy and adult education centers across the country starting in 1957.
Since independence in the early 1960s, the country has seen the issuance of laws regulating the education process, including Law No. 11 of 1965 concerning compulsory education. Article 1 of this law stipulated that “education shall be compulsory and free for all Kuwaiti children, male and female, from the beginning of primary education through the intermediate stage, and the State is committed to providing school buildings, books, teachers, and all human and material resources necessary to ensure the success of compulsory education.”
Kuwait recognized that obtaining advanced education and distinguished outcomes requires attention to educational spending; therefore, the education sector at all levels has accounted for a high percentage of the state budget, with Kuwait’s education expenditure rate ranking among the highest globally.
Kuwait’s efforts to eradicate illiteracy among its citizens have passed through three stages: the first began in 1950 and lasted until 1957; the second spanned from 1957 to 1981; and the third culminated in the issuance of the Literacy Eradication Law in 1981, which comprised 23 articles aimed at completely eliminating illiteracy.
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Kuwait continues to advance steadily in the field of literacy through its development vision, “New Kuwait 2035,” which embodies all elements and provisions of sustainable development, particularly in developing human capital and providing inclusive, equitable, and high-quality education for all.
In 2025, Kuwait continued its efforts in education and literacy, with recent data showing a continued rise in literacy levels among society members, alongside the state’s ongoing allocation of a high percentage of its general budget to the education sector.
As Kuwait’s educational journey continues to advance and evolve in step with modern changes, efforts to develop education are no longer limited to combating illiteracy and providing adult education; they now extend to harnessing technology and artificial intelligence and enhancing the learning environment.
In 2026, several educational initiatives and events emerged that reflect this progress, most notably the launch on February 11 by the Ministry of Education of a project to implement artificial intelligence tools in collaboration with Google, aiming to integrate AI technologies into the educational process in accordance with the latest global standards.
On May 4, the Ministry of Education approved the working hours for in-person classes at adult education and literacy centers, ensuring the continuity of the educational process and regular attendance for learners. This decision underscores the Ministry’s ongoing commitment to adult literacy and education programs and its dedication to providing an organized learning environment that enables students to continue their studies.
