Kuwait’s Ministry of Education has suspended the administration of a secondary school for girls for three months pending an investigation into an incident in which multiple female students experienced suffocation symptoms, according to a statement from the ministry. Education Minister Engineer Sayed Jalal Al-Tabtabai ordered the immediate probe to establish the causes, circumstances and responsibilities involved while directing that a new administration take over to ensure continuity of the educational process. The ministry added that preliminary findings confirmed the involvement of a number of students in the event, leading to disciplinary and regulatory measures against them under the comprehensive educational regulations after their actions were classified as serious behavioral violations.
All of the affected students remain in stable condition, the Ministry of Education reported, with the minister personally following up on their health and instructing relevant departments to coordinate with other authorities on monitoring and necessary actions. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Sheikh Dr. Salman Khalifa Al-Sabah visited the students in medical care to assess their conditions and the treatment being provided, a Ministry of Health statement said. He directed continued monitoring and the allocation of all necessary resources for their care in coordination with the education ministry and other bodies.
The Ministry of Education stressed that student and staff safety ranks among its top priorities and that it will not tolerate any actions that endanger the school environment, according to its announcement on the case. Al-Tabtabai visited the students himself to check on their wellbeing following the incident that occurred the previous day, the ministry noted. A new school leadership has been assigned to maintain stability and normal operations during the suspension period.
The development echoes a similar 2017 episode at a Kuwaiti girls’ high school in which 42 students required treatment after a prank involving firecrackers and fire extinguishers caused suffocation and panic, a Gulf News report from that period stated. In that earlier case, eight students were expelled, others were suspended or transferred, and four staff members faced questioning for negligence, according to the Jahra Education District findings detailed in the report. Authorities at the time described the behavior as a major violation that nearly caused deaths among the student body.
Investigations continue to determine the precise trigger of the latest suffocation cases, the Ministry of Education said, with coordination ongoing across government agencies. The health ministry has committed to sustained follow-up on each student’s medical assessment, its undersecretary emphasized during the hospital visit. No further details on the number of students affected or the specific school location have been released publicly by the authorities.
