The incomparable schools
i made a few simple calculations recently and discovered that i spent fi ve almost-hard years in alsabah elementary school, which was located near ahmad al-jaber street close to the current sharq police station. i then spent fi ve harder years laden with unprecedented naughtiness in al-sadiq intermediate school which was controlled by ministry of interior until recently. after i fi nished my studies there with low grades, i took my records and went to shuwaikh high school. it was the beginning of the 1960s and the headmaster of that school was the late sulaiman al-mutawa. he thoroughly examined the dossier of my records, closed it and gave it to me. he then said, “my son! find another school. shuwaikh school will not benefi t you”. i think his politeness prevented him from telling me, “find another school because you will not benefi t shuwaikh school”. that “decent rejection” was a big turning point in my life because i went to the business school. due to some differences with my father, i left the business school even though i fi nished third grade and i joined the gulf bank, hoping to end my secondary and university education through evening classes. i remembered all these years — few sweet years and many bitter ones — when i read something about schools in japan which owes its exceptional rise to its education system, especially after world war ii, which coincided with the fi rst years of my childhood. in al-sabah school, it was impossible to fi nd less than fi ve pupils in one class reported as absent. in japan, attendance was often about 100 percent. in japan, the students take off their shoes before entering the classroom in order to keep it clean and prevent the spread of bacteria. in al-sadiq school, we used to take them off too, but to play with them or use them to beat each other. in japan in the 50s and 60s, students ate healthy balanced food which subsequently kept them healthy and increased their height over four decades. in kuwait, the lentil soup prepared daily in the central kitchen only made our bellies bigger. in japan, students assist in cleaning the school facilities. in our schools, we increased the burden on the cleaning workers by dirtying our schools’ bathrooms, classrooms and corridors. in japan, the fi rst four years are dedicated to building a child’s character and teaching good behavior, decency, and respect for those older. in kuwait, it was during those years that we learned how to be naughty and indecent. japanese students do not know cheating because their education is based on ethics. in kuwait we were forced to pray, and we cheated on it by laughing and playing when we prostrated, so we were brought up in cheating and did not denounce it during exams. in japan … i think the abovementioned comparisons are enough to prove my point.
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