Kuwait's only woman minister won a confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday after she was questioned this month by deputies who accused her of mishandling the education sector.

Education Minister Nuriya al-Subih has been under fire from the start of her tenure after defying Islamists' calls for her to wear a headscarf when she was sworn into the Gulf Arab country's cabinet in April.

She also faces accusations that she mishandled an incident in which three boys were sexually assaulted by Asian labourers at a school, and failed to take strong measures against a girl who scribbled on the Koran.

She has been blamed for failing educational standards, and criticised for allowing men and women to mix at private universities in a country where education is largely segregated.

Subih denied all the charges and won the confidence of parliament, with 27 deputies voting in her favour, 19 voting against her and two abstaining.

The vote split Islamists in Kuwait's parliament, with the main Islamist bloc voting in favour of the minister.

"We are all loyal to Kuwait and I will take all the observations into consideration in developing education," Subih said after the vote.

Ten lawmakers had requested the no-confidence vote in Subih - the latest in a series of ministers to come under pressure from parliament, which has been locked in a long-running row with the government of the Opec oil exporter.

The government has dodged previous efforts to oust ministers by reshuffling portfolios.

Kuwait has yet to name an oil minister to replace Badr Al Humaidhi, who resigned days after his appointment in November under pressure from hostile deputies. Humaidhi was the second oil minister to resign in 2007.

Subih's female cabinet colleague Massouma Al Mubarak, stepped down as health minister in August, bowing to pressure mainly from Islamist deputies after a hospital fire.

Women won the right to vote and run for office in Kuwait in 2005. The emir, who has the last say in politics, has repeatedly urged deputies and the government to work together, but to little avail. Kuwaiti newspapers have predicted that the emir may decided to dissolve the house if problems continue.-Reuters