# Kuwait education sector restructuring

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/kuwait-education-sector-restructuring
> Updated: 2026-09-11T14:04:21.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Education has launched a restructuring plan to address a surplus of approximately 33,268 teachers in public schools. The first phase of this initiative involves the termination of 7,019 expatriate teachers of various nationalities, with notifications delivered via the government’s ‘Sahel’ application.

This policy, described as part of a ‘Kuwaitisation’ strategy, aims to reduce annual state salary expenditures by approximately KD42 million (roughly 137 million USD) and replace foreign staff with qualified Kuwaiti nationals. The terminations affect several subjects, including Arabic, English, mathematics, science, and Islamic education. While the ministry intends to phase these cuts to align staffing with actual institutional needs, the move signals a shift toward limiting international recruitment to only those specific subjects facing shortages.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-11: Kuwait terminates 7,019 expatriate teachers in restructuring plan

Kuwait has terminated 7,019 expatriate teachers as part of a ‘Kuwaitisation’ policy to reduce budget deficits and replace foreign staff with local graduates following an audit revealing a massive teacher survey

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/kuwait-terminates-7019-expatriate-teachers-in-restructuring-plan

### 2026-09-08: Kuwait Ministry of Education terminates 7,000 expat teachers

Kuwait's Ministry of Education is terminating 7,019 expatriate teachers to address staff surpluses, aiming to save KD42 million annually and increase the employment of national citizens.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/kuwait-ministry-of-education-terminates-7000-expat-teachers

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Cite as: Kuwait education sector restructuring. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/kuwait-education-sector-restructuring