KUWAIT — All private schools in Kuwait have been instructed to reduce tuition fees by 25 percent for the next academic year amid the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. In a statement carried by Kuwait News Agency on Tuesday, Kuwait's Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Saud Al-Harbi announced the reduction of the fee and called on private schools to commit to online schooling for the start of the 2020/2021 academic year until students can return to school normally. The minister tasked undersecretary for private education with issuing rules and regulations on the matter, activate and monitor online studying and hold schools that violate the fee reduction decision responsible, according to the statement. Last week, several private school owners had threatened to take the ministry to court if the latter reduced tuition fees for the new academic year. According to the reports, the ministry had suggested to the school owners that the reduction of fees will be offset by annual rent exemptions by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education had vowed to push for approval of the exemption.