KUWAIT: The Civil Service Commission (CSC) informed the Ministry of Education about the new regulations for appointing expatriate teachers in disciplines in which the Kuwaiti talent is not immediately available. This includes a “very good” certification in addition to the minimum academic qualification of the teacher as a prerequisite for hiring expatriate teachers.

The CSC said academic qualification must be taken as a basis for hiring expat teachers by the competent authorities in Kuwait, in addition to certificates of scientific experience subsequent to the academic qualification obtained from outside the country which must be documented by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The CSC confirmed that the aforementioned controls are observed in all cases of hiring the expertise of employees for the first time while addressing the Civil Service in each case separately. However, the CSC excluded Bedoons from these controls if they meet the conditions of the Central Agency for Addressing the Status of Illegal Residents.

On the other hand, sources confirmed that about 90 percent of expatriates residing in Kuwait do not meet the conditions of employment to work in the Ministry of Education in the required scientific disciplines needed by the ministry. This is the reason why the Civil Service Commission has brought forth the new regulations in the education sector and not all those expats who show teacher as their profession in his/her residency permit may not be qualified to teach in the country.

The ministry has made very limited local appointments this year as a result of this new condition that disqualifies most of the applicants. “Most teachers enter the country under other names, but they have degrees from recognized universities and have experiences that qualify them to work in education,” they said. The sources pointed out that the Ministry of Education needs to coordinate with the Civil Service Commission to avoid such a situation if it needs teachers that it cannot provide particularly after the current events in Gaza which could negatively affect hiring of Palestinian teachers in disciplines that still have acute shortage.