Reduction of budget contradicts Kuwait’s Vision 2035: says NUKS
‘Lack of awareness on negative impact’
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 10: The National Union of Kuwait University Students (NUKS) has expressed surprise on the reduction of the university’s budget in the draft budget link recently issued by the National Assembly, stressing the reduction of budget reflects lack of awareness on the negative impact of the decision on the future of the educational process in the nation’s only public university, noting the step is inconsistent with the new Kuwait Vision 2035, which is based on investing in the human element, reports Al-Jarida daily.
The union in a statement added the state apparatus with its legislative authority was the first to search for ways to increase the budget of Kuwait University, in light of the increasing number of secondary school outputs and the expected increase in number of university admissions. This constitutes additional financial pressures on the university to increase the number of academics and provide the sufficient number of teaching staff, the assisting body, administrative apparatus, equipping buildings, facilities and services to absorb the increase, not to mention the increase in size of expenses as a result of the trend towards adopting distance learning methods.
The union added, “It is sad that, apparently, our government and members of the National Assembly who agreed to reduce the budget of Kuwait University did not understand the lessons the nations have learnt from the current coronavirus pandemic plaguing mankind, which showed all countries of the world racing towards the scientific research sector to find an effective treatment to eradicate the disease. “Instead of increasing the university’s budget to support scientific research and graduate studies sectors to encourage researchers and those wishing to go on scholarships, they rather decided to reduce budget, in an absurd scene that places Kuwait University idly by in front of any attempt to develop, modernize and match the global race towards the advancement of scientific research, and caring for the talented or gifted by embracing them”, statement said.