Kuwait’s Ministry of Education has uncovered a surprising case involving an expatriate teacher who received her full salary for 19 years, despite not being present in the educational field during that time.

The incident came to light through the ministry’s internal auditing and the application of the fingerprint attendance system, which revealed that the teacher had been absent from her duties for nearly two decades. Official communications had previously documented her interruption from work, yet salary payments continued uninterrupted. 

Authorities confirmed that although the teacher had received a total of KD105,000 in salaries over the 19-year period, the entire amount remained untouched in her bank account.

This led the ministry to rule out any suspicion of corruption in the case, suggesting that the issue may stem from administrative oversight rather than deliberate misconduct.

The case has raised questions about monitoring mechanisms and accountability within government institutions, prompting calls for tighter controls and regular reviews to prevent similar occurrences in the future.