Kuwaiti identity linchpin of education plan – minister
MoE completes readiness for new academic year
Virtues such as volunteerism and a solid work ethic, embedded in the personalities of Kuwaitis, are the focal points of the nation’s educational strategy, Minister of Education Dr Mohammad Al-Fares said on Monday.
Speaking to the press a day before the new school year officially kicks off, Al-Fares, who is also Minister of Higher Education, plans on surveying schools nationwide in efforts to ensure that preparations are well in place for the new academic term.
He described education as a critical social issue that requires collective efforts to keep up with meteoric advancements in that field, naming new technology as an example. Al-Fares highlighted the need to provide an atmosphere conducive to pedagogy, saying that teachers shoulder an enormous obligation to educate the masses.
The Minister of Education also wished for an auspicious start to the new school year, calling on teachers to serve as exemplary role models for aspiring students.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education is gearing up to welcome 337,131 students in its schools across the country with the start of the new academic year on Sunday, Sept 10.
In press statements to KUNA, the ministry’s Undersecretary Haitham Al-Athari stated that schools would open doors for students of grade 1 and grade 2 students as of September 10 and for students of grade 3 to grade 9 a day later.
Meanwhile, secondary schools, from grade 10 to grade 12, would welcome students as of Sept 17, Al-Athari added. He pointed out that schoolbooks have been delivered to over 90 percent of schools and the residue would be receive their books soon.
The official stated that the ministry has also completed maintenance and cleaning works at schools.
Teachers and administrative stuff would return to schools after the end of Eid Al-Adha holiday on Tuesday, he said. Al-Athari thanked the ministry’s staff and officials for their efforts during the summer to prepare schools for the new academic year.
He also wished teachers and students a new scholastic year full of successes and achievements.
In the meantime, a group of Kuwaiti scholarship students in the United States, Australia and Britain have expressed resentment on the delay in disbursement of their financial allocations, reports Al-Qabas daily.
The students lamented the issue aggravates their burden, as they’re unable to pay their rent or purchase textbooks or fulfill other obligations. They criticized statements by officials of the Administrative and Financial Affairs Sector in the Ministry of Higher Education as ‘mere ink on paper’, adding the same issue is repeated each month despite the numerous promises to put things right.