Govt places priority to quality education in new Kuwait development plan 2035

KD 251.8m allocated for several projects

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 22: Government seeks to strengthen and develop the education system, and to empower the youth in Kuwait by placing “quality education” as priority in the new Kuwait development plan 2035 where about KD 251.8 million has been allocated for several development projects in this aspect, within the budget for fiscal year 2019/2020, reports Al-Anba daily.

According to data available in this regard, government is working on eight programs which focus on youth and society, noting the programs constitute 27 projects and include the development of quality education, raising the seat capacity in higher education, security and safety, care and youth empowerment, reforming labor market imbalances, integrating people with disabilities, improving elderly care services, and promoting social cohesion.

Data shows the actual spending volume on these projects until the first half of the current fiscal year amounted to KD 79.9 million, with spending rate of 31.7 percent in only 4 programs, while no money was spent on the other four programs.

With regard to details of the programs, only 2.6 percent was spent on the education quality program with the allocation of KD 11.7 million for spending within the current budget at a value of KD 311.7 thousand only, which is very low rate. Ministry of Education is executing the project in collaboration with the National Center for Education Development.

The quality of education program includes 8 projects, all of which are developmental but no money had been spent, as of the end of the first half of the current fiscal year- except on one project (the Integrated System for Education Reform) with spending rate of 3.6 percent. Ministry of Education

supervises three projects here, while the center supervises five projects.

As for the program to increase the seat capacity in higher education facilities, only one project exists in this regard, which is Sabah Al-Salem University City and KD 224.9 million has been allocated for this project within the current budget, of which KD 76.4 million was spent as of the first half of this fiscal year – with 33.9 percent spending rate.

The youth welfare and empowerment program also includes eight projects, five of which involve construction, and the remaining three involve development. Ministry of Education oversees one project, Kuwait University oversees another project, and Public Authority for Sports oversees three projects, while Public Authority for Youth has three projects.

Funds have been allocated for the projects at a value of KD 10.09 million, of which 2.8 million was spent (28 percent rate) by the end of the first half of the current fiscal year.

Concerning the program for integration and care of the people with disability, there are three approved projects worth KD 95,000, but no money had been spent for that purpose until the end of the first half of the current fiscal year.

This is similar to the program for caring for people with disabilities, in which, despite the allocation of funds, nothing had been spent on three other programs as at the end of first half of the current fiscal year, namely: the promotion of social cohesion, which was allotted KD 275 thousand within the current budget; the program to reform labor market imbalances with a budget of KD 10 thousand; and the safety and security program, which has a budget of KD 1.98 million.