This is the million KD question. The straight answer is that Kuwait law is basically silent on the subject.
Depending on what kind of person you are, you could see that as a closed door or as a green light. Personally, I found this to be very encouraging because unlike some countries such as Germany who are overtly anti-homeschooling, in our case silence is golden! It’s an opportunity to organize ourselves and get the ball rolling in creating legislation that will integrate homeschooling into the educational fabric of Kuwait.
However, what does Kuwait Law saw about education? And is it homeschool friendly or isn't it?
Questions you shall see are powerful things. I’m going to share with you some of the questions that have the power to provide the answers we would like to see.
This is what Article 40 of the constitution says:
Depending on what kind of person you are, you could see that as a closed door or as a green light. Personally, I found this to be very encouraging because unlike some countries such as Germany who are overtly anti-homeschooling, in our case silence is golden! It’s an opportunity to organize ourselves and get the ball rolling in creating legislation that will integrate homeschooling into the educational fabric of Kuwait.
However, what does Kuwait Law saw about education? And is it homeschool friendly or isn't it?
Questions you shall see are powerful things. I’m going to share with you some of the questions that have the power to provide the answers we would like to see.
This is what Article 40 of the constitution says:
"Education is a right for Kuwaitis, guaranteed by the State in accordance with law and within the limits of public policy and morals. Education in its preliminary stages shall be compulsory and free in accordance with law. Law shall lay down the necessary plan to eliminate illiteracy. The State shall devote particular care to the physical, moral, and mental development of youth."
So we see that education is a right of every child. Up until now, because it has been seen that only schools can provide an education, and so parents who prevented their children from going to school have been prosecuted. Who were keeping their kids out of school though? There have been such cases in Kuwait between divorced couples in which usually the husband refuses to continue paying for a private school and the mother refuses to accept putting her children in a public school, and so he files a lawsuit against her.
The QUESTIONS to ask are: what if both parents were in agreement with pulling the child out of school? Who would file a lawsuit against them in such a case? What is the worst possible punishment? Is it a fee? Is it jail? Surely it couldn't be as bad as Germany, where they actually take custody away from the parents in homeschooling cases! Does it make sense to take kids away from parents in order for them to be forced to go to school if it can be demonstrated and proved that the parents are providing love and care as well as a viable home education for their child? Surely only a totalitarian state would assert such a thing!
In any case, let's take another look at Article 40 again, in light of introducing this new concept called homeschooling:
The QUESTIONS to ask are: what if both parents were in agreement with pulling the child out of school? Who would file a lawsuit against them in such a case? What is the worst possible punishment? Is it a fee? Is it jail? Surely it couldn't be as bad as Germany, where they actually take custody away from the parents in homeschooling cases! Does it make sense to take kids away from parents in order for them to be forced to go to school if it can be demonstrated and proved that the parents are providing love and care as well as a viable home education for their child? Surely only a totalitarian state would assert such a thing!
In any case, let's take another look at Article 40 again, in light of introducing this new concept called homeschooling:
"Education is a right for Kuwaitis..."
Pulling them out of school is not the same as depriving them of an education. We are providing them with what we believe is a superior education. A simple way to prove it would be saving all the work and projects and portfolios done by the homeschooled child, payments made to private tutors etc.
So the POWER QUESTION here is: Couldn't we establish that "Education" is not limited and confined to "Schooling"?
So the POWER QUESTION here is: Couldn't we establish that "Education" is not limited and confined to "Schooling"?
"...guaranteed by the State in accordance with law and within the limits of public policy and morals. "
POWER QUESTION: Couldn't we establish the legal framework and procedures to satisfy the State that education is being delivered? Some examples of this from different States within America would be such requirements as the parents submitting a letter of intent to homeschool, or for homes to register as private schools, some States require periodic testing etc.
"...Education in its preliminary stages shall be compulsory and free in accordance with law..."
POWER QUESTION: Couldn't parents sign an affidavit that they will indeed educate their children? Couldn't parents promise not to charge their kids for homeschooling them? :D (Just kidding. Carry on)
"...Law shall lay down the necessary plan to eliminate illiteracy..."
POWER QUESTION: Couldn't we get homeschooling to be included in that plan? Perhaps by parents again signing an affidavit that achieving literacy for their kids would be one of their first priorities, and perhaps even submitting which curriculum they plan on using (just to prove that they do indeed have a pan in place?)
"...The State shall devote particular care to the physical, moral, and mental development of youth..."
POWER QUESTION: Couldn't we establish that homeschooling indeed safeguards the physical moral and mental development of youth by providing the example of numerous cases of not only the high number of failing students in schools but also examples in which schools have failed to safeguard the "physical, moral and mental development of youth" by pulling records of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and even drug abuse that has occurred as a direct consequent of enrollment in schools?
The answer to all those questions is: WHY NOT!
In conclusion: The real question we should be asking ourselves isn’t “Is homeschooling legal in Kuwait?” it should be “DO YOU WANT IT TO BE?”
If your answer to that question is YES, then click on the button below and register to be an official member of Kuwait Homeschool League and meet with us to discuss the next steps to take.
The answer to all those questions is: WHY NOT!
In conclusion: The real question we should be asking ourselves isn’t “Is homeschooling legal in Kuwait?” it should be “DO YOU WANT IT TO BE?”
If your answer to that question is YES, then click on the button below and register to be an official member of Kuwait Homeschool League and meet with us to discuss the next steps to take.