The constitutional text of the State of Kuwait regarding education
The Constitution of the State of Kuwait is a set of articles that define the system of government in Kuwait, and sets the rules that govern the three branches of legislation, executive, and judiciary.
The State of Kuwait has paid great attention to education, and this interest was highlighted through the Constitution of the State of Kuwait, which made education compulsory for citizens, because education plays a major role in the progress and advancement of society.
Article (40) states the following: Education is a right for Kuwaitis, guaranteed by the state, in accordance with the law and within the limits of public order and morals, and education is compulsory and free in its early stages in accordance with the law.
What is meant by the first stages is what reaches the end of intermediate education, so that the obligation does not exceed this stage.
History of education in the State of Kuwait
Education in Kuwait passed through two stages, the first represented by the period before formal education, which was education through the kataeb, and the second represented by formal schools.
The history of the first regular schools dates back to the year 1911, when the first regular school was established, which was the Mubarakiya School. It was the nucleus upon which education was built in Kuwait. After the establishment of the Mubarakiya School, education developed significantly and schools spread in all regions of Kuwait. This development culminated in the establishment of Kuwait University in 1966.
The mosque – as in most Islamic cities – is considered one of the first buildings in the city. The mosque was not limited to leading prayers, but rather extended to include preaching, teaching religion, and reading the Qur’an. Therefore, the mosque is considered the first stage of education in Kuwait.
What is meant by education at this stage is learning at the hands of a full-time teacher and in a place other than the mosque. This was the stage of the Mutawa or Mullah schools, which are similar to the Kuttab schools in other countries. The development of life in Kuwait, the interest of its people in trade, and their travel to distant countries imposed the necessity of developing educational methods.
Among the things that the Mullah or Al-Mutawa paid attention to was teaching the calligraphy, its good performance, and its beauty, as the one with beautiful calligraphy was wanted to work for merchants.
Knowing the calculations of diving and how to divide the income between the captains (ship captains) and the sailors was also necessary, accompanied by knowing the calculations of the plaster used in painting and building houses, and knowing the calculations of fat (ghee), which was an essential commodity in Kuwait’s land trade with its Bedouin backs in the surrounding desert, especially The Najdi dahir, as trade with this dahir was known in the history of Kuwait as “contestation” in reference to the path of any path.
