'Kuwaitization' plan to be completed by 2022

KUWAIT: The replacement committee at the National Assembly confirmed that the government is implementing the 'Kuwaitization' plan during the coming years, with plans to complete it by 2022. Informed sources said a list of expat employees whose jobs will be terminated during the coming fiscal year, which started in April and runs through March 2019, is 3,108 expats in 48 government departments, starting from July.

As for the population structure, the source said the Civil Service Commission sent to the National Assembly the number of citizens who were nominated for employment since 2014, which is 75,476, while 16,468 expats were appointed in the health and education ministries where no applications by Kuwaitis are available. It said that with the employment of 8,156 citizens in 20 days since the start of April, the country witnessed the largest employment in its history.

The number of citizens working in state departments related to civil service is 256,048 compared to 78,439 expats, 31,362 of whom work in education, 34,789 in health and 2,931 in the Awqaf ministries. The committee rejected in its first report a proposal to commit state departments to submit a report every six months to the National Assembly that includes the number and description of jobs where Kuwaitis were appointed by replacement. Committee rapporteur MP Safa Al-Hashem said the committee proposed finding solutions to eradicate the unemployment problem that is getting worse year after year.

Oil sector

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and its subsidiaries spent KD 18.3 million during the 2017/2018 financial year for medical treatment of expatriate employees and their families at Ahmadi Hospital. Treatment of expats during the past five years in the oil sector cost KD 95 million. The number of expat patients in Ahmadi Hospital has dropped in the past few years as a large number of workers were transferred to contractors as part of the Kuwaitization process. The number of patients in Ahmadi Hospital dropped from 110,600 in 2013/2014 to 79,700 in 2017/2018.

The latest statistics approved by KPC show that there are 3,000 expat employees in the oil sector in various specialties. Despite the drop in patient numbers at Ahmadi Hospital during the past five years, the individual cost rose to reach KD 229.5 during the latest fiscal year compared to KD 162.7 during 2013/2014.

Bogus certificates

Education Minister Hamid Al-Azmi said the committee investigating bogus certificates of Kuwait University hasn't completed its job yet, adding that the ministry will sent the results to MPs as soon as they are ready. Azmi said the examination mechanism of the certificates goes through the appointment committee at the scientific department, then after checking, it goes to the appointments committee at the college, then to the university appointments committee and deputy university rector for scientific affairs, then it is referred to Kuwait University rector for approval.

As for the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Azmi said a ministerial decision was issued to form an investigation committee in the bogus certificates issue, and a report was sent to the public prosecution in this regard. He said none of the authority's leaders have been accused yet and the matter is in the hands of the public prosecution. On procedures of appointing expats, he said professors and teachers are appointed according to decision 480/2001 with regards to amending the rules and regulations of education and training facilities at PAAET, so contracting with expats professors and teachers will not be considered final until after their degrees are authenticated within three months from the decision's issue.

By A Saleh