Candidate Ghadeer Aseri speaks during a campaign meeting in Kuwait City on November 16, 2016.

KUWAIT: As part of the coverage of the 2016 parliamentary elections, Kuwait Times is interviewing candidates and attending symposiums to hear their views on challenges facing Kuwait. Dr. Ghadeer Aseri, candidate of the first district held a symposium on Wednesday at the Radisson Blu Hotel. She focused her talk on the issues of education and general freedom in Kuwait.

"The society can be changed through changing the laws. We should have laws that respect people. We need to open our country and to have more freedom. This is related to all issues in our life including discrimination in the university, freedom of speech, and even the freedom to wear what we see suitable. I consider it ridicules not to be able to enter a health club at night just because I'm a woman," Dr. Ghadeer Aseri said during the symposium.

According to her Kuwait should be a civil country. "We need to respect Article 30 of the Kuwaiti Constitution that respects our freedoms. We should all be able to live in harmony in one society and our minds should be open to respect each other," she pointed out. "Our demands are simple but we can make a change. The simple demands can bring freedom. We need to have the freedom to listen to music of any style or kind. Everybody in this country should have the freedom of religion and beliefs. With more tolerance we will improve our daily life and the country as whole," added Aseri.

On her vision

Dr. Aseri has three major issues that she plans to work on if she is elected to the parliament: Changing civil law, youth and change, and women's rights in Kuwait. "Change needs power, which comes from the people so they should chose right candidates," she said.

On education

"The average age of Kuwaitis is 29 years old, while the average age in Europe is 42 years. So the majority of our society are young people, and we need to improve our youth to have more qualified individuals in the future. The correct education is necessary for future generations," she stated.

"We can change the community through the education and I can also change the attitude of individuals. I have long term plans as I don't aim to make a change for just four years when I will be an MP, thus to set a law to change the community for the next 20 or 30 years," highlighted Aseri.

"I aim to change the curriculum, the system of education, the quality of teachers. Many Kuwaitis register their children in private schools, as they think they should invest in their children. They believe how important the education is for the future of their kids. Today children play with iPads and smart phone, which are considered toys today. This is globalization and we have to move with it, so I have to fix some policies to apply with this development," she concluded.

By Nawara Fattahova