Why Education is a Strategic Investment in Kuwait

As we welcome the new academic year with optimism and hope for a bright future for the next generation, we must commend the Ministry of Education for creating all the necessary conditions for a smooth start to the school year.

The vast sums of money the state has allocated and continues to allocate educating and nurturing the young are not wasted. Education is no longer seen as a consumable social service provided by the state to its citizens, but rather a long-term investment aimed at creating diverse human resources and employing these polished and well-prepared talents honed during their school years. This is the surest guarantee of a nation's progress and advancement.

In this context and based on this concept, the Ministry of Education has always strived to ensure this investment process is carried out under the best conditions and yields the best results. We are comfortable with the great progress Kuwait has made in a short time in the field of education. There is no need for further proof, as the number of students entering schools this week and the increasing number of graduates year after year are the best evidence of what we are saying. However, we always aspire to what is better and want to learn from our experience over the past years to avoid anything that could disrupt the educational process.

Reviewing Educational Curricula

The first observation:

We must applaud the idea of reviewing the educational curricula adopted by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education. We hope the results of these reviews will be applicable and align with our general educational choices.

Time is changing rapidly, and educational theories are in constant development. We want our educational curricula to keep pace with progress and development and not remain stagnant. Change and movement are signs of alertness, while stagnation and decay are signs of decline and backwardness. It should be noted that we are not asking for change for the sake of change but for a higher educational level, an easier and simpler way of comprehension, and for students to be better in knowledge, morals, and religion.

Theoretical vs. Applied Education

The second observation:

which is closely related to what we have already said, revolves around the imbalance between theoretical and applied education. One of the problems of education in Kuwait, as in developing countries in general, is the dominance of theoretical education over technical and vocational education. At the same time, these countries are in dire need of highly skilled and semi-skilled technical and even skilled workers in all specializations. One of the reasons for this imbalance is our view (which, thankfully, has started to change) of a profession as a form of degradation. Therefore, this issue must be given the attention it deserves, and vocational and technical education must be encouraged, with its content adjusted to suit the requirements of different professions, industries, and jobs in society. In other words, there must be a link between this type of education and the needs of society so that our schools do not produce hordes of unemployed people, as is the case with theoretical education in some Arab and developing countries.

Researchers in educational affairs have found that many students have a practical mindset and a desire to work with their hands. In fact, they have talents that remain suppressed if they are not given the opportunity for vocational education. It is unfair to demand they succeed in theoretical education.

As we begin a new academic year, we can only hope that the Ministry of Education will continue on the path of development and refinement it has taken. We are optimistic because the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education has been giving special importance to the issue of vocational education for some time, and we hope it will continue its diligent efforts to create a strong tradition of vocational education.