KUWAIT: The Ministry of Education has issued a general bulletin for all public and private Arabic schools and kindergartens to ensure that class time is allotted for reading at the school library. An education ministry official emphasized the importance of holding the class and exposing students to various works of literature available at the school library. The official added that they were essential tools for students to develop their reading skills from a young age.

Reading class is not an entirely new concept in Kuwait but a lack of appropriate facilities and a condensed school curriculum have made it difficult to hold such a class on a regular basis. Despite the importance of having a library where students can read, they are rarely available at private Arabic schools and if one was available, it’s usually too small for a class to be held there. The norm at private Arabic schools is to have classrooms made up of at least 40 students.

The education ministry statement said a librarian in each school has been assigned to coordinate with the school’s Arabic Language Department to organize visits to the school library. They have also been tasked with preparing regular reports on the number of reading classes and learners coming to the library. The statistics will be sent through the Director of Educational Activities in the educational zone to the Libraries Research Department for analysis. The statement didn’t elaborate on how schools without an appropriate library are expected to implement the rule.