KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait's ban on all passenger flights arriving from 31 countries has caused a new crisis for its education ministry as it reels from the shortage of teachers for the new academic year, Arab Times, an English-language newspaper, said on Monday citing a report in an Arabic daily. The report said the decision has made it difficult for teachers to return to Kuwait as most of them are stranded in the countries that are on the coronavirus "high risk" ban list. The ministry said it is considering the possibility of exempting the teachers from the ban, like the medical workers, immediately after the Eid Al-Adha holiday in coordination with the Ministry of Health and other concerned government agencies, according to the report. Many schools in the country are suffering from an acute shortage of teachers, especially in some disciplines, and it will negatively affect the start of the next academic year, even if the system of online education is implemented, the report added. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Kuwait Teachers Society, Mutee Al-Ajami has demanded exemption of the expatriate teachers from the decision to ban the entry of travelers from 31 countries. In a press statement, Al-Ajmi stressed the need for the Ministry of Education to take the necessary steps to facilitate procedures for these teachers' return to Kuwait; especially after setting the date for the resumption of work for the academic staff in all levels, according to the report.
