KUWAIT: The education ministry announced on Monday that the last week of the holy fasting month of Ramadan will be a public holiday for students, teachers and administrative staff. This will be done without reducing the number of school days, under a new five-year academic calendar approved by Education Minister Jalal Al-Tabtabaei.
The ministry said the calendar will save KD 51 million by addressing previously wasted school days. It also aims to curb widespread absenteeism between official holidays. The new framework sets precise dates for the start and end of the school year, exam periods, official holidays and regular breaks. (See Page 2)
Midday work ban ends
Meanwhile, the annual three-month summer ban on workers working under the sun has ended, the Public Authority of Manpower announced on Monday. The ban extends from June 1 to August 31 from 11 am to 4 pm daily. The action was introduced about 10 years ago and hefty fines are collected from violating companies for each worker.
The ban applies only to worksites that are directly under the sun as a safety measure, as temperatures exceed 50 degrees Celsius on many days under the shade and much higher under the direct sun. Acting director of the authority Marzouq Al-Otaibi said in a statement on X that the measure is aimed at protecting workers.
He said that search teams covered all governorates to ensure companies abided by the decision, adding that 63 sites violated the ban and 68 workers were found. As many as 126 sites were inspected during the ban. The authority said after the violating sites were cautioned, all of them rectified the violation on the second search. Al-Otaibi said the decision aims to protect workers by regulating working hours without affecting the progress of projects.
