MoE defers secondment of private school principals

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, June 25, 2026

Kuwait’s Ministry of Education has suspended the transfer of principals and assistant principals from private to government schools, assigning the General Directorate of Measurement and Evaluation to manage their placement based on staffing needs. Concurrently, over 21,000 teachers have been trained in AI technologies through a partnership with Google, signaling a major step toward integrating digital skills into the education system.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Education has issued a ministerial decree suspending the secondment of principals and assistant principals from private non-governmental schools—including Arab private and model schools—to government schools. The decision, announced on June 24, assigns the General Directorate of Measurement and Evaluation the responsibility for distributing these school leaders within government institutions according to actual staffing requirements under the Educational Affairs Sector.

The decree also designates the Ministry’s Inspection and Audit Office to oversee compliance among private sector schools with existing regulations and policies. It mandates strict implementation of the measure by all relevant authorities and cancels any conflicting previous ministerial decrees.

In a separate development, the Ministry highlighted progress in integrating artificial intelligence into education through the “Google AI for Education” initiative. More than 21,000 teachers have been trained in adopting AI technologies within the classroom, a milestone achieved in collaboration with Google since the project’s launch in 2024.

Hamad Al-Hamad, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs, emphasized that the project, guided by Minister of Education Eng. Sayed Jalal Al-Tabtabaei, included establishing the Gemini Education Academy, which provides specialized AI training for educators. He described the initiative as a strategic investment aimed at preparing future generations with advanced digital skills.

Mohammed Al-Otaibi, Director General of the General Guidance, Curricula, and Research Department and project director, confirmed that the training has equipped more than 21,000 teachers with AI competencies. Shaima Al-Turkait, General Manager of Google Cloud in Kuwait, noted the company’s plans to broaden access to all 40,000 teachers in Kuwait, including those in middle schools. Meanwhile, Mona Salem, acting Director of the Computer Technical Guidance Department and executive project director, reported the activation of 25,000 Gemini Education licenses to facilitate ongoing teacher engagement with AI tools.

These efforts underscore Kuwait’s commitment to advancing educational quality and digital transformation amid administrative adjustments in school leadership assignments.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.