This paper reports on a review of initial teacher education (ITE) in Kuwait between 2009 & 2013 sponsored initially by the British Council and latterly by the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). Progress on recommended changes has been described within the local Arabic idiom as “cooking on a low heat”, which means that progress was being made only slowly. Conclusions as to how to make ITE more effective in the country were agreed at an early stage, but development has limited through a process aligned to the principle of non-decision-making. Although one consequence of inaction has been substantial financial cost, the greater cost is the significant proportion of teachers who are performing at below expected levels. The paper concludes that intervention at the higher levels of government is required in order to overcome the stagnation of this reform initiative
