Kuwait has banned pitching tents inside schools, citing “negative” impact on the education environment
.The Kuwaiti Ministry of Education has issued a circular, instructing school administrations not to set up tents in schools “due to their negative impact on learners and the educational environment”, Al Anba newspaper has reported.
As the school is not just a building, but an educational environment that shapes the student’s personality and affects his/her future, tents there are prohibited for a set of reasons, said Ahmed Al Majidi, an acting director of the education department in the Kuwaiti Capital Governorate.
The paper quoted the circular as explaining the reasons of the ban that said tents may cause damage to school facilities including trees, benches, and the buildings themselves.
Pitching tents is often associated with increased waste and pollution of the surrounding environment, resulting in negative effects on the well-being of students and teachers.
Using cooking utensils and lighting tools inside tents increases the risks of fires, thus putting the lives of students and the school at risk, according to the circular.
In addition, having tents at the school may hamper smooth movement and cause incidents. The tents may also distract students’ attention from lessons and “negatively affect” their academic performance.
The current school year in Kuwait began in mid-September. The mid-year holiday in all educational stages there is due to start on January 19 until January 30.
Earlier this month, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education launched public buses displaying motivational signs for students across the country.
Posters on the buses read: “Your effort bears fruit”; “Determination and ambition: small steps and big achievements”; and “Together we fulfil our dreams”.
