Kuwait to Terminate Services of Nearly 3,800 Expat Teachers Over Five Years

KUWAIT CITY, Apr 15: The Civil Service Commission has outlined a major five-year restructuring plan aimed at phasing out expat teachers in select educational specializations and gradually replacing them with national cadres, according to informed sources.

Under the plan, the Ministry of Education has been instructed to terminate the services of expatriate male and female teachers in eight subjects identified as having a surplus of staff. These include Islamic education, physical education, French language, home economics, art education, kindergarten, psychology, and social studies. The measure will begin after the end of the 2026–2027 academic year.

Sources said a total of 3,795 teachers are covered under the policy, including 3,757 female teachers and 38 male teachers. The transition will be implemented gradually over five years, with 766 teachers set to be terminated annually for the first four years, followed by 731 in the final year, to reach zero expat teachers in these specializations by the end of the plan.

The Civil Service Commission reportedly based its decision on data showing a surplus of teachers in these subjects, part of which is currently filled by expatriate staff. Authorities said the move is intended to align educational staffing with local labor market needs and expand employment opportunities for Kuwaiti graduates.

The restructuring follows a previous request from the Ministry of Education to halt new nominations for certain education specializations from Kuwait University and the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, except for students already enrolled or nearing graduation.

The breakdown of teachers included in the plan shows physical education as the largest category with 1,744 teachers, followed by

- Islamic studies 1,083
- Kindergarten  285
- Social Studies 216
- French language  204
- Art education 148
- Economics  91 
- Psychology 24

Officials said the plan is part of broader efforts to regulate the education workforce and ensure long-term alignment with national workforce policies.