The Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court ruling that requires the Ministry of Education to recognize a seventh-grade student as having passed the academic year and advance her to eighth grade following prolonged technical problems with the remote learning platform. The appeals decision, issued Tuesday, rejects the ministry’s challenge and confirms the annulment of the failing grade and poor performance assessment that had been assigned to the pupil. This outcome ensures the student does not have to repeat the year due to circumstances beyond her control, according to the judgment.
The case stems from the second semester of the 2025-2026 academic year when the ministry implemented remote learning via Microsoft Teams amid exceptional circumstances across the country. The student, attending a girls’ middle school in the Ahmadi educational district, faced a technical fault that blocked her access to the platform for nearly two months until the issue was resolved in April. Court records show she completed and submitted all required assignments once connectivity was restored.
Lawyer Badr Muhammad Al-Dalak presented evidence to the court that the malfunction was entirely outside his client’s control and that the prevailing exceptional conditions had hindered her ability to notify school administrators promptly. The ministry nevertheless recorded her absences as unjustified and evaluated her performance as poor, which triggered the failing result for the year. Al-Dalak argued that such a penalty was unfair given the documented technical barriers.
The Administrative Court reviewed the full circumstances and evidence of the technical disruption in a ruling issued on August 12, 2026. That verdict annulled the ministry’s decision in its entirety, including the poor assessment and failure designation, and directed officials to treat the student as successful. The lower court specified that the ministry must formally promote her to the eighth grade without further delay.
The appeals court’s confirmation on October 20, 2026, finalizes the legal process and reinforces the initial finding that students should not be penalized for systemic platform failures during remote instruction periods. Multiple regional outlets, including Gulf News, had detailed the administrative court’s August decision at the time, highlighting ongoing challenges with digital education tools in Kuwait. The case underscores the judiciary’s role in addressing e-learning obstacles that arose during the semester when remote delivery was standard.
