COVID-19 and the Bidoon in Kuwait private schools in turns every year, leaving some at home for periods ranging from one to three years. 31 Some families frequently prioritised boys’ education over girls, leaving many girls without education and creating severe gender inequality. As a result, many Bidoon have either had to quit primary or secondary education, or have had consistent interruptions in their schooling. If they were able to complete their education, it was often in schools that offered lower quality education in relation to the education offered in other private institutions. 32 Many have not been able to pursue post-secondary education as government institutions only enrol a small number of Bidoon students who have outstanding grades, often in very limited program choices. 33 The main challenge the Bidoon face with regard to education is funding. Many families depend on donations to send their children to school. 34 Schools also take an extra fee portion for each Bidoon student depending on their year level (primary, intermediate and secondary) above the tuition fees covered by the charity fund. Students are not allowed to access their classrooms if they have not paid their tuition in full. 35 Sometimes they force students to stand out in the school yard in severe weather conditions until their parents arrive to either pay the outstanding amounts or take them home. 36 During the pandemic, students whose fees were outstanding were barred from accessing the Zoom sessions until they paid their fees. 37 Another challenge that arose during the pandemic in relation to online schooling was that many students needed electronic devices and internet access, things many Bidoon families struggled to provide for their children. 38 Given that schools required each child to have their own device to complete their homework, this was a large barrier. Activists led a campaign on Twitter called ‫ﻧﺴﺎھﻤـﺒﺘﻌﻠﯿﻤﮫ‬# and gathered donations to help cover expenses for these technologies. 39 The other effect of online schooling is the necessary unpaid labour at home to assist children in their studies and homework, something which became a challenge generally for many families around the world as schooling shifted online. For many Bidoon families, this was a particular challenge given that many family members are either illiterate or otherwise unequipped to help their children at home. The latter may be because they also had to work to provide income for the house or have full-time domestic labour responsibilities, but is not limited to these reasons. 39F D Mental Health For the Bidoon, mental health illnesses are already a common occurrence, given the oppressions — including social stigma, economic impoverishment, exclusion 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Prisoners of the Past (n 13); Conversation with Bidoon activists (n 11). Prisoners of the Past (n 13). ibid. ibid; Conversation with Bidoon activists (n 11). Conversation with Bidoon activists (n 11). ibid. ibid. ibid. See, eg, @JosephBohamad (Joseph Bohamad) (Twitter, 8 September 2020, 4:01pm AEST) <https://t.co/t3oHYj66aM>; @HadeeLBuQrais (Hadeel Buqrais) (Twitter, 21 September 2020, 12:18am AEST) <https://t.co/oNGjVI3eM2>. 127