Mubarakiya (1911): according to Kuwait Transformed, in the early 20th century wealthy merchant families in Kuwait donated 77,500 rupees to establish the town’s first public school (prior to this children went to private neighborhood Qur’anic schools). The Al Khudhair family donated a house near the suq for the school, which was named the Mubarakiya School after the ruler at the time–Sheikh Mubarak Al Sabah. It opened in December of 1911. According to the work Mubarak al-Sabah, “amongst other things, pupils were taught grammar, dictation, composition and handwriting and were introduced to Arabic literature. In addition, mathematics and geography were taught, together with some basic ideas about engineering. In deference to tradition, the curriculum also featured religious sciences, which included the study of the Qur’an and its exegesis, Islamic jurisprudence and an introduction to Islamic doctrine.” According to Kuwait Modern Architecture, the current structure dates from the late 50s. The authors write that, “gradually the site acquired various uses after the school closed down, hosting the Central Library in 1979, the National Library between 1985 and 2011 and at present, the History of Education Museum.” In this article you can see some old photographs of the school. The black-and-white photograph comes from a 1952 National Geographic article about Kuwait. The last photo comes from this instagram post.

Aisha School (1926): according to this Kuwait News Agency article, the Aisha School was the first informal girls school, inaugurated in 1926. Currently under renovation, it is close to the Anwaar Al-Sabah buildings, which have visibly deteriorated and as of the summer of 2023, have begun to be demolished. According to Abdulraouf Murad, the complex built in the 1960s atop a football field known as the Qibly Field. He also states that some of the children who lived in the complex attended the Aisha Primary School. The images of the school before renovation began come from the blog of Maha Alessa.

AlSharqiya School for Girls (1939): opened in 2003, the Modern Art Museum is housed within a former school that was built in 1939. In Kuwait Transformed Farah Al-Nakib writes that, “by the 1930s more people were sending their children to larger state-run schools… such as the Sharqiyya School in Sharq… because of their more extensive curricula and better facilities.” According to this article, it started as a school for boys, but after the increase in the number of female students, it turned into a school for girls.

The photos below come from the Instagram of Ali Al Rais and show the building before its renovation. The framed photos can be seen in the museum.

Here are a few more “then and nows.” Nearby to the old AlSharqiya School for Girls was the Al-Sharqiyah School for Boys, see below in Shipmasters of Kuwait

Al Qibliyah (1940): according to this Kuwait News Agency article, “the school is named after Al Qibla district where it was located. The two storey-building was built of mud bricks and wood and had three gates and two yards. In 1945, the house was demolished by heavy rains and a new more sophisticated school replaced it. The building was renovated in 2001 and today it serves as offices for the NCCAL.

Al Muthanna: I’m not sure when this school was built, certainly sometime before the 1960s. You can see it many old photographs of Fahad Al Salem Street, such as these photographs from 1966. Eventually, the school was demolished and Al Muthanna Complex was built on top of it.

Kindergarten in Al Jahra (1960s): I don’t know much about the history of this school, but it is a great place for urban exploring (other than the scary dog that lives there)

Failaka Primary School: unsure when it was built, but the ruins of this school are across the street from Wanasa Beach. Failaka hasn’t been inhabited since the invasion, so the school dates to before the 1990s

Failaka Secondary School: unsure when it was built, but when the Danish archaeologists came to excavate in Failaka in 1958, they stayed in this school