KUWAIT: Local schools were recently informed to switch of air conditioning units in empty classes and rooms in a bid to save on energy in educational facilities. The Ministry of Education's (MOE) Assistant Undersecretary for Public Education Fatima Al-Kandari issued a directive to all public schools, urging all school staffs to make sure that all air conditioning units are switched off in empty classes and rooms, to close all doors and windows when the units are on, to set regulators to 27 C degrees, to replace any broken windows and to switch off all unnecessary lights, especially after school hours.

In other news, Kandari sent an official letter to MOE's administrative sector demanding exempting newly recruited English and French teachers from the 'prior experience' condition for hiring, especially since the foreign recruitment committee sent to Jordan failed to hire the number of teachers needed to cover up the shortage in male English teachers as well as male and female French teachers.

Bedoon pilgrims

Commenting on the Hajj convoy prices, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Minister of State for Municipality Affairs Mohammad Al-Jebri stressed that the market was open for everybody and that prices were subject to demand and offer without any interference from the ministry. "We are only concerned with administrative and organizational sides such as licenses, registry, leaves, quality control certificates, inspecting buildings and convoys," he underlined, pointing out that the ministry coordinates with relevant authorities in order to arrange for issuing bedoon pilgrims' visas to avoid the delay like last year.

Jebri stressed that the Awqaf ministry is the primary 'defense line' facing extremism and terrorism and that the most important measures taken to stop the spread of such terrorism will be monitoring social media networks in quest for any radical ideas pending conducting a full survey of religious extremism cases to set proper remedies. Jerbi said that special teams were formed to do the job and prepare sound religious responses to them.

Students' allowances

Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) urged the finance ministry to remember a request it made five months earlier to open an account to pay the allowances of students dispatched on scholarships   through Kuwait's cultural offices abroad. KIA had officially contacted the finance ministry in February asking for the approval of opening bank accounts in Washington, London and Paris.

Tenders

The Central Agency for Public Tenders notified government bodies of remarks about using up their financial allocations (budgets) a few weeks before the fiscal year was over. The apparatus also notified the concerned bodies of the need to restrict tenders and contracts in the last month of the fiscal year except in necessary cases approved by the minister in charge using written justifications.

By A Saleh