It is necessary to create an authority to guarantee the quality of education under the prime minister, within a national plan to reform education and spread the culture of quality in educational establishments and society to reach international standards, and gain the society's confidence in those institutions and increase their ability domestically and internationally, and achieve sustainable development, so it becomes important to take the necessary measures to improve educational institutions and achieve comprehensive development.

It must be understood that the authority is not a supervisory body, rather it is body to approve educational institutions that are able to fulfill requirements of specifications and quality, and is keen on offering guidance and support to those institutions and help them for continued improvement and quality of graduates through self-correction. At the same time, the authority must seek international recognition and decisions known for its credibility and objectivity, and be able to develop itself in order to guarantee quality of education and achieve excellence and competitiveness.

Our problem is that education in Kuwait has a long way to go, and the ministry knows about the percentage of quality in our schools, institutions and university. The current problem is the teacher who is careless towards his job, with the absence of conscience in some. Continued training is needed, in addition to introducing modern technology.

Our first problem now is making people do their required jobs only, and this is part of the basic of quality in education, and it requires raising the teacher's salary, and we have the best teachers and best education in the world. Finland stipulates a long qualification process for the teacher and receiving a master's degree before he enters a classroom, so he gets the highest salary in the state to a point that the judiciary is demanding equality with him. Then comes Germany in second place worldwide, because education is the foundation of any development, and we must be careful about its quality.

How are the authority's goals achieved?

The aim is for the authority to seek fulfillment of goals at the near and far levels, and the clear goal is to seek the future of education by planning for education and manage the educational process through viewing the future. The student in the elementary stage must learn and be prepared for the future marketplace, expected 10 years or more later, and not for the current marketplace. Education abroad is built on this principle, while at the same time the future vision of education is in the state's commitment to presenting high quality education for all, as one of the basic right of the Kuwaiti citizen. The authority is a basic pillar to guarantee this right, because it is responsible for the culture of quality in the educational institutions, the society and the competitive ability of these institutions locally and internationally.

When and how quality fulfills its goals at educational institutions?

Quality and credence aim at creating a human being who innovates, thinks and learns, and the responsibility is that of the education and training organization and its institutions, which should reach quality levels in what goes inside, their operations and graduates.

Quality represents an important aspect in the world today, to a point that made intellectuals named this era as the "quality era", until it became the most important method to improve the quality of education in this era, as it is no longer a luxury needed by educational institutions, rather it became an urgent living necessity and an evidence of the educational institutions continuing their contemporary role. The future vision of education in Kuwait is in the state's commitment to present high quality education for all as one of the basic rights to the Kuwaiti citizen.

What is the field role of the educational institutions to enhance quality?

The authority, through courses and international workshops for post- and undergraduate education, and technical and religious education with the participation of international education experts from Germany, England, France, Italy, Spain and quality authorities from seven Arab countries in addition to world organizations including the German Authority for Scientific Exchange, British Cultural Center, UNESCO, Industrial Training Center and European Training Organization, look at the latest international experiences in the field of quality education, and use the help of major experts and university rectors and present their experiences to those handling the education process in Kuwait.

There should a future plan for the authority and how to implement it at all levels. This means higher education in Kuwait is moving as planned, and the authority should seek international recognition, then recognition of the authority's accreditations, which will contribute to changing the image of education in Kuwait, and a better way to achieve Kuwait's vision, as the authority is a cornerstone in building Kuwait with our national institutions.

The authority should lay the principles of accrediting undergraduate educational institutions, following it up, and make sure about reaching quality, and giving it to the objective and fair institution, because results of accreditation should not differ with applicants and depend on an objective basis. Then, clarity and transparency, in a way that the accreditation procedures be clear and in the open, and the reports should be backed up with meetings with officials and those concerned.

Accreditation relies on accurate information systems, and there should be workers able to deal efficiently with them. They should have all indicators, standards and fields covering the accreditation processes. Institutions should aim towards the sought-after goal step by step, and the accreditation provides development by stimulating the institution to always carry out self-evaluation, and support the making of development plans for comprehensive performance, and link between the institution and local society. So the accreditation certificate should be the society's confidence in the institution, and results of the institution's accreditation reflect on the performance of the school community and local society.

Among the authority's duties also is the systemic follow up and review of educational institutions that were approved by the authorities during the validity of the accreditation certificate through annual reports submitted by the institution to the authority or through periodic visits by the authority to the institutions to make sure that they continue their activity and revoke the license in case of violation.

The authorities' board should issue a decision to cancel the accreditation certificate in case any of the basic conditions is violated, or if the institution commits grave violations in educational programs they present, or if it is proven that information or documents presented to receive the accreditation were incorrect, or if the institution received the accreditation certificate through cheating. - Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Qabas

By Mohammad Nasser Al-Sanousi