KUWAIT: According to a research by Gallup, Kuwait ranks among the top five countries in the world where residents believe that children are treated with respect and dignity, with nearly universal agreement on this point in 2023. The research showed that 95 percent of Kuwaitis believe that children in the country have ample opportunities to learn and grow, placing Kuwait in the top five globally for this metric as well. This high perception reflects the country’s focus on child welfare, aligning with similar results from neighboring Gulf States like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Speaking to Kuwait Times, Andrew Rzepa, Executive Director of Gallup’s global analytics division in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, revealed that the sample size of the World Poll in Kuwait in 2023 was 1,071 respondents, which includes Kuwaitis, Arab expats and non-Arabs who were able to complete the interview in Arabic, English, Bengali or Hindi.

Regarding Kuwait’s education system evolving, he stated “In recent years, Kuwait has introduced the ‘Kuwait National Development Plan’, also known as New Kuwait 2023. This is a government strategy which has education at its heart (as one of seven policy pillars). Such policy reforms seek to invest more in education and training to meet the needs of Kuwait’s growing youth population. A majority (59 percent) of 15-29s in Kuwait is classed as thriving - this figure has never been higher among Kuwait’s youth since the start of the Gallup World Poll. It also puts young people on par with Saudi for thriving, ahead of the UAE.” The high ranking of Kuwait in terms of children’s dignity and learning opportunities has significant long-term implications for national development. Rzepa noted that according to the recent World Happiness Report, the wellbeing and emotional health of children are strong predictors of happiness in adulthood, adding “Investing in the children of today is therefore part of investing in the future tomorrow. For the last several years in Kuwait, people with higher levels of education have been more optimistic for the future in general, and the future of their local economies.”

Concerning the challenges remain in Kuwait regarding children’s welfare, Rzepa explained that there is one challenge that remains, which is ensuring the benefits of better education extend to everyone in society, regardless of household income level. He added, “In 2023, the report of income quintiles and people who are satisfied with the education system showed that 20 percent of the poorest were less satisfied with a percentage of 71 percent compared with the 20 percent of the richest who were satisfied 95 percent. While this still represents a majority of the poorest income quintile that is satisfied with schools in their country, there is a way to go to close the gap.”