With the ongoing efforts of government agencies to cleanse the labor market from claimants of various professions, the Public Authority of Manpower (PAM), with the cooperation of the Kuwait Society of Engineers, has taken practical steps to control the market and verify academic qualifications, especially engineering certifications, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The Kuwait Society of Engineers recently received 5,248 applications to evaluate the qualifications of engineers for approval with PAM’s cooperation.

At the same time, the qualifications of 16,000 residents working as accountants or related professions are under scrutiny.

According to data obtained by the daily, the Kuwait Society of Engineers recently discovered 81 certificates that did not comply with accreditation requirements, seven of which were forged, of which 16 certificates were of Egyptian expatriates and 14 of Indian expatriates.

The data showed that Indians and Egyptians are the top nationalities that submitted requests for the approval of the qualification recently, representing 70 percent of the total applicants.

In a similar context, Head of the Kuwait Society for Engineers Faisal Al-Otol revealed the intention to form a national accreditation council with members from a group of government agencies to test the engineers.

Regarding the approval of engineering certificates coming from India, Al-Otol said Kuwait’s position is firm in terms of granting the title of “engineer” in the work permits of non-Kuwaitis, as it is done according to a unified mechanism that is applied online, with the exception of matching the ratifications of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He stressed that India’s request to adopt special treatment for its nationals is not possible, and that the society does not mind expanding the accreditation lists from India, provided that it is compatible with the requirements of the labor market and provides the required skills.

Al-Otol highlighted that the mechanism for dealing with all nationalities is the same, and that verifying the authenticity of the certificate has become an imperative necessity.

He said, “The society fulfilled this task and lifted the government’s burden of this performance without charging it with anything.”

Al-Otol said he hopes there will be an end to the recruitment of freshly graduated engineers from abroad, as the principle is to bring in experienced people.

With the fasting month of Ramadan around the corner, the price monitoring team of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, carried out a proactive campaign on the markets selling dates, food commodities, and mills in the Shuwaikh area to view and control prices, reports Al-Qabas daily. Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Muhammad Al-Enezi, told the daily strict measures are being taken to protect consumers’ rights and monitor prices, especially in cooperative societies and supermarkets, and to prevent artificial rise in prices.

Al-Enezi mentioned that the focus is on cooperative societies to control prices, especially since they represent 80 percent of the consumer market, indicating that the work of field teams is continuing and that the goal of monitoring the market is to protect consumers from artificial prices. The director of the technical apparatus for supervising commodities at the Ministry of Commerce, Faisal Al-Ansari, pointed out that work continues to monitor prices especially during the blessed month of Ramadan.

Travel agencies in Kuwait have witnessed a great turnout of citizens and residents the past few days to book flights during the national holiday, which led to over 200 percent increase in the ticket prices of several destinations. Several specialists in the tourism sector have told KUNA on Wednesday that the most desired destinations to go to during the holiday are GCC countries, Turkey, London, Cairo and Beirut. Director of the Operational Lines Network Planning and Distribution Department at Kuwait Airways Shoroq Al-Awadhi told KUNA that the prices of flight tickets of all airlines are demanded locally and internationally.

The most demanded destinations currently on Kuwait airways are Turkey, GCC countries and relatively close countries to Kuwait due to the short holiday, added Al-Awadhi, noting that the turnout on flying on Kuwait airways have increased since adding new destinations and increasing its flights.

In a similar statement to KUNA, Director of Al-Maktab traveling agency Nassib Adnan said that the number of people wanting to travel during the national holiday have increased to reach 90 percent, alongside the significant increase in ticket prices for several destinations. For his part, tourism specialist Kamal Kabsha told KUNA that the travel demand for London, Cairo, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai during the national holidays have exceeded expectations, noting that the demand for Istanbul have declined after the recent earthquake. Meanwhile, the sales of travel and tourism agencies in Kuwait increased by about 75 percent during the year 2022 to KD 276.71 million from KD 157.83 million in 2021, reports Al-Rai daily quoting informed sources.

They explained that the revenues of the travel and tourism agencies increased during the past year by about 338 percent to KD 276.7 million from KD 63.22 million in 2020 when the COVID-19 crisis hit various countries of the world including Kuwait.

The crisis had caused the shutdown of the airport and quarantine procedures imposed on arriving passengers. It also led to a significant drop in the air traffic despite discounts on flight tickets and hotels in various destinations, which threatened many travel and tourism offices with bankruptcy and failure, and resulted in the dismissal of a large number of their employees.

The trend of the travel agency sales index in Kuwait was upward from January 2021 until the end of December 2022, with the fading of the COVID-19 crisis and the opening of the appetite of citizens and residents to travel after long periods of interruption.

Public Authority for Manpower, in cooperation with the Kuwait Society of Engineers, has taken practical steps to ensure academic qualifications, especially in engineering, while government agencies continue to purify the labor market of various professions.

According to Al-Qabas daily, the KSE received 5,248 requests for considering the qualifications of engineers for approval in cooperation with the PAM.

The KSE discovered 81 certificates that did not comply with accreditation requirements, seven of which were forged, 14 for Indians and 16 for Egyptians.

Most of the Indians and Egyptians who submitted requests for approval of the qualification recently represent 70% of the total applicants.

During this discussion, KSE head Faisal Al-Atl revealed plans to establish a national accreditation council, made up of government agencies, to test engineers.

In relation to the approval of engineering certificates issued by India, Al-Atl told Al-Qabas that Kuwait's position is firm regarding granting the title of "engineer" to non-Kuwaitis in work permits, as it follows a unified procedure that is applied "online", except that the ratifications of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are matched.

It is the goal of Al-Atl to stop recruiting fresh graduates from abroad, since the principle is to bring in experienced engineers.

In 2017, the Ministry of Education, with the cooperation of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), was able to obtain approvals to create a student escort job for which a number of male and female citizens were appointed to work in schools. However, there is a huge dropout of them currently as they switch to other fields, reports Aljarida daily.

The role of student escort or companion was established to bear part of the administrative burdens placed on teachers. This idea began to bear fruit in the educational field in alleviating the administrative work that was thrown on teachers. However, educational sources revealed that a large dropout process by the occupants of this job began, by changing the job title to assistant secretarial work, something that creates confusion in schools. Student escorts ended up carrying administrative burdens such as shifts, following up students on opportunities and during the queue, and doing some administrative work in the school departments.

The sources explained that the main goal of creating a student escort job is for the teacher to devote himself to performing his basic task and to provide job opportunities for citizens with intermediate degrees. However, their dropout in this manner has become a concern for school administrations that will have to assign those tasks to teachers again after their presence contributed to the stability of the situation in schools.

A large number of student escorts in schools submitted requests to amend the job title to the title of secretarial assistant and other job titles. They had obtained the necessary approvals in this regard even though their academic certificates were still average, which caused a decrease in their numbers in schools, especially since the appointment process for this job has been suspended for some time.

Continuation of the process of changing the names of the student escorts at this pace will completely empty the schools of this job, which will negatively affect the situation inside the schools, especially with regard to shift opportunities and the end of school hours. This is because the school is obligated to provide employees to stay with the students until they are received by their families after the end of the school hours or hand them over to the police station if they are not received within two hours after the end of the working hours.

The sources highlighted that the ministry is in the process of operating buses to transport students in the next academic year, which means that there is an urgent need for this job, especially in the process of guiding students at the end of school hours, and ensuring that they board safely on the buses designated to transport them, in addition to staying with those students when their families are late in picking them up.

It is worth mentioning that CSC approved 2,000 job opportunities in 2017 for the Ministry of Education to appoint student escorts, address the teachers’ shift crisis, and raise the ratio of Kuwaitis to non-Kuwaitis in government jobs, after holding several meetings between the Cabinet, Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Finance.

The Ministry of Interior announced ban on use of drone cameras along the Arabian Gulf Street, including Kuwait Towers and the Green Island areas, from Monday, February 20, until March 1.

The decision to ban drone photography is a safety measure since UAV shows are planned to take place in these areas during that time, according to a press release from the Ministry’s General Directorate of Security Relations and Media.

The statement urged the public, for their safety, to abide by the decision to avoid intervention in the radio frequencies of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) participating in the shows.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Defense Undersecretary Dr. Abdullah Mishal Al- Sabah received Monday Spanish Admiral of Fleet Juan Luis Sobrino Perez, on the occasion of his official visit to Kuwait accompanied by Spanish Ambassador Miguel Aguilar.

The Acting Director General of the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources, Eng. Mishaal Al-Quraifa, announced, Monday, the reduction of feed prices, starting from the first of next March, for all livestock breeders and producers, reports Al-Jarida daily. Al-Quraifa said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency that the new prices would contribute to the return of stability to the local livestock and meat market and motivate breeders to increase their bids in order to achieve the state’s goals in enhancing food security.

Reduction
He added that the price reduction includes both barley, hay and concentrated mixtures, and was reached with the authority’s efforts and joint coordination with the Kuwaiti Flour Mills and Bakeries Company based on the decline in the global feed stock market and the Russian-Ukrainian war, which severely affected the global grain and food market.

He thanked the Board of Directors of the Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries Company for their fruitful cooperation with the authority and for responding to the demands raised by it on behalf of the producers and breeders of livestock, wishing the continuation of the new prices because of the common interest that benefits both educators and consumers in general. He explained that the new feed prices will be implemented as of next March, as barley will be sold at 4 dinars, down from 4.250 dinars, straw from 4.950 to 4 dinars, mixtures and concentrates from 3.550 to 3.100 dinars, and center from 3.600 to 3.150.

Informed sources in the Ministry of Electricity and Water reassured about the coming summer, stressing that according to the data of the current situation and the expected consumption, the coming summer is safe, as the ministry has a production capacity exceeding 18,000 megawatts, while studies indicate that the maximum expected consumption will be around 17,000 megawatts, reports Al-Qabas daily. The sources indicated that the ministry is currently pushing for the implementation of many energy production and water desalination projects during the coming period to secure the needs in the coming years, in light of the increasing demand for electricity and water.

The sources indicated that the ministry’s officials held a meeting last week with the special advisor in charge of studying summer loads, who in turn presented a report on the upcoming summer loads, including many important short-term and long-term recommendations for the ministry to implement in order to avoid any interruptions. The sources confirmed that the ministry is working to implement all the recommendations, and work is underway to follow up the report and implement its contents, noting that the short recommendations in the report included the need to ensure the safety of the lines, and the work of the alternative lines of electricity, so that the supply is secured through the alternative lines if the main line is exposed.

For any sudden breakdown, in addition to ensuring the dissemination of the culture of rationalization within the community, and the dissemination of the culture of energy efficiency by using the devices provided, especially air conditioners.

An Indian lady identified as Akila Karthi committed suicide in Fahaheel after killing her two kids yesterday, 19th February 2023. She hails from Tamil Nadu and was living with her husband and 2 Kids, son 10 years old and daughter 12 Years old studying in Indian Schools in Kuwait .

She was under treatment for depression. She suffocated and killed her two children before jumping off from the sixth floor in Fahaheel.

This happened when her husband was not at home and gone for work. When the incident was informed to her husband, he tried contacting his daughter. The police had to break open the door, as it was locked from inside and nobody was responding. Police found both children lying dead inside the house.

Akila Karthi and her husband both are engineers and she is an active member of Tamil Association Kuwait.

The Indian community in Kuwait is in mourning following the tragic news , The incident has left the community in shock, and many are struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, The incident has sent shockwaves through the Indian community in Kuwait, with many expressing their grief and condolences to the bereaved family.

The incident has raised concerns about the mental health of expatriate women in Kuwait, who may face various challenges such as cultural differences, language barriers, and isolation from their families and friends back home. It is important for the community to provide support and resources for those who may be struggling with mental health issues and to raise awareness about the importance of seeking help when needed.

In recent years, there have been increased efforts to raise awareness about mental health issues and provide support to those in need. The Indian embassy in Kuwait and various community organizations have launched initiatives and programs to provide support and resources for those struggling with mental health issues.

The tragic incident serves as a reminder of the importance of addressing mental health issues in the expatriate community in Kuwait and the need for greater support and resources for those who may be struggling. It is important for individuals to seek help and support when dealing with mental health issues and for the community to provide a safe and supportive environment for those who may be struggling.

The Indian community in Kuwait is a strong and resilient one, and they will undoubtedly come together to support the bereaved family during this difficult time. The incident is a tragic reminder of the importance of prioritizing mental health and providing support and resources for those in need. 

Today, February 20, a specific bomb threat led IndiGo flight 6E 6191 operating from Delhi to Deogarh to be diverted to Lucknow.

The aircraft was cleared for takeoff after following all necessary security protocols. The airline says it is complying with the rules of security agencies in the probe.

A Dubai-bound flight from Warsaw was diverted to Krakow last month due to a "potential security threat". FlyDubai flight FZ 1830 from Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) to Dubai International (DXB) on January 22 was diverted to Krakow Airport (KRK) "as a precaution", an airline spokesperson confirmed to Khaleej Times.

Upon landing, the passengers disembarked safely.

Upon screening by the local authorities in accordance with safety and security protocols, the aircraft was deemed to be a non-credible threat, the spokesperson said.

Earlier this year, a chartered flight from Moscow to Goa was diverted to Jamnagar after a bomb threat was received in Goa.

Indian authorities announced all passengers were safe following the security threat.

According to the Jamnagar Airport Director, all 244 passengers on board the Moscow-Goa chartered flight deboarded at the airport after the aircraft landed safely at 9.49pm.

 According to health sources, preliminary estimates indicate a decrease in the rate of expatriates visiting health centers by 20 to 25 percent since the imposition of fees for dispensing medicines from December 18 at KD 5 for health centers and hospital casualty departments, and KD 10 for outpatient clinics, reports Al-Rai daily. According to informed sources, the estimates are based on a comparison between the current numbers recorded between December 19, 2022 and early February 2023, and the official statistics for the year 2020 when visits by non-Kuwaitis to casualty clinics in hospitals reached 975,553 in total.

The number of visits may decrease by about 300,000 by the end of this year.

Regarding the outpatient visits in general and specialized hospitals, the sources said, “Visits by expatriates amounted to 701,156, according to 2020 statistics. It is likely that their number will decrease by a percentage similar to the decrease in visits to casualty departments.

Outpatient clinic visits are generally lesser than visits to casualty departments. Therefore, the rate of decrease may be higher than visiting casualty departments by the end of this year.”

Regarding visits to clinics, the sources expected a decrease of 25 to 30 percent.

In a related context, the sources revealed that the fees imposed to obtain medicines led about 30 to 40 percent of the expatriates, according to preliminary estimates, to go to the private sector pharmacies to buy their prescriptions. However, about 60 percent or more expatriates still get medicines from pharmacies of government health facilities, according to the sources, because the medicines dispensed to them equal or exceed the value of the fees they pay.

Kuwaitization of information system, technology and science jobs in the Ministry of Education has reached 100 percent; while the number of expatriates in all job categories who were terminated from Jan 1, 2017 till date totaled 2,048, reports Al-Seyassah daily quoting sources from the educational sector. On the other hand, sources said the ministry has recruited 629 employees since the issuance of Resolution 11 of 2017 on the rules and procedures for Kuwaitization of government jobs till date.

Meanwhile, sources affirmed that the ministry is closely monitoring the preparation of educational infrastructure in relation to the establishment of Mutlaa Residential City schools and the provision of educational services for all residents of the city upon its completion and connection of electricity.

Sources confirmed the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has started the construction of 20 schools in this residential city — six kindergartens, three primary schools for boys and another three for girls, two intermediate schools for boys and another two for girls, and two secondary schools for boys and another two for girls.

On Sunday, the permanent committee for national celebrations announced that the celebrations of the 62nd National Day and 32nd Liberation Anniversary would include a variety of activities and be held in collaboration with public and private organizations.

The committee told Kuwait News Agency that a fireworks show would kick-start celebrations and it would be visible from Gulf Road, the Green Island, and Kuwait Towers.

The show would be accompanied by laser lighting displays, stunning visual performances and more, the committee added.

A number of exhibitions and functions would be held throughout the national festivities in commemoration of those joyful occasions, it affirmed.

The committee extended its congratulations to the country's leadership and to all people living in Kuwait.

The celebrations will take place on February 25th and 26th.

A sit-in was conducted by a number of employees from the Islamic Studies sector and Al-Sarraj Al-Munir within the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs to protest a circular which increased working hours according to a resolution issued by the Civil Service Commission.

The new working hours are expected to come into force as of Monday and stipulate that working hours should be adjusted from 7 am to 1 pm, and evening hours from 3 pm until 8 pm.

The protesters expressed their categorical rejection of those decisions that were have been issued, describing them as unreasonable.

The Minister of Justice, the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, and the Minister of State for Integrity Promotion Abdulaziz Al-Majed said he was surprised by the sit-ins and listened to their demands concerning their working hours.

Al-Majed promised to find appropriate solutions to all observations in accordance with the rules and laws regulating working hours issued by the CSC. "I am ready to listen to all demands and complaints directly," he said.

The Ministry of Health has signed a contract to purchase new equipment for a number of hospitals, including Al-Adan, Al-Sabah and Jaber Al-Ahmad, reports Al- Qabas daily. The Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi, said, on the sidelines of the Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Conference these devices will arrive in the country within three months, saying this is within the framework of the Ministry’s keenness to keep abreast of the latest developments in international medical technology.

Speaking of the conference, Al- Aawadhi said that it is being held after interruption due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic while at the same time expressing his pride in the presence of national cadres in various specialties, whether in the radiology and radiotherapy departments at the Kuwait Cancer Control Center and the nuclear medicine departments.

He pointed out that these three disciplines play an important and essential role in the advancement of technology with the participation of international companies, as radiation therapy systems and treatment through nuclear medicine develop, in addition to the diagnostic role and progress in the standards of accuracy in devices and related lectures. He expressed his happiness with the participation of many scientists, doctors and consultants from countries of the world to enrich the scientific discussion.

About 1,800 expatriate teachers await their fate in light of the Ministry of Education’s intention to cut down the number of expatriate teachers in some disciplines for which alternative Kuwaiti teachers are available, most notably Islamic education, social studies, computers, art education, and music, reports Al-Rai daily. According to educational sources, the Public Education Sector in the ministry has provided the Administrative Sector with a list of the teachers’ names to take the necessary measures.

 A meeting with the two sectors will be held soon to develop a mechanism to terminate the services of this large number of members of the educational staff, and to set dates for informing them of the decisions and signing the termination letters. However, the sources denied that the termination of the teachers’ services was based on instructions from the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

 They said, “About three years ago, they were included in the replacement policy, because the ministry is committed to the specified percentage of male and female teachers, as the percentage of Kuwaitis exceeds 72 percent, and the percentage of expatriates is less than 27 percent.” The sources indicated that the teachers’ services would be terminated in August due to their entitlement to summer vacation salaries, according to the educational stage and the end dates of the year according to the academic calendar.

They said this approach is based on the instructions of the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Hamad Al-Adwani regarding ending the services of expatriate teachers if national components are available. In addition, the Ministry of Education is still receiving applications from new teachers (local contracts) on its website, as well as rejecting the applications of dozens of applicants for some majors, because they are limited to children of Kuwaiti women only, according to the official website of the ministry.

In order to determine the percentage of profits from delivering civil ID card applications, which are estimated to amount to about 80 thousand cards, the Public Authority for Civil Information changed its procedures, reported Al Qabas daily, leaving it up to bidders to decide, since the contract lasts for three years, subject to renewal.

PACI will close the submission of bids for the card delivery auction on 23 February.

In addition, PACI’s specifications brochure revealed that the company that will win the award will be the one to submit the highest bid with a cut-off value of the delivery service fees, which are specified at KD 2 in favor of PACI, and the first contract specifies the percentage of commission at 650 fils for each card.

In a statement, Josep Borrell, Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to the European Union, affirmed his desire to resolve the issue of exempting Kuwaitis from Schengen visa requirements.

 Al-Qabas reports that he said this during a meeting with Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Al-Abdullah today, Friday, at the 59th Munich Security Conference.

At both official and popular levels, the Minister of Foreign Affairs conveyed Kuwait's position regarding the recent decision taken by the European side regarding exempting Kuwaiti citizens from Schengen visa requirements.

Borrell expressed his understanding of this matter, expressing his eagerness and interest in closing this file, valuing in this context the close relationship established between the two.

Security challenges on the regional and international arenas were also discussed, including the Ukrainian crisis and the Middle East situation, as well as the Iranian nuclear issue.

The Ministry of Health has suspended expats medical examination center from Mishrief exhibition grounds hall no 8, Thursday was the last working day for the center.

The MOH stated that it will shift temporarily to Shuwaikh at the Expat Medical Examination Center until Rumaithiya Health Center is opened. The MOH will announce the opening date of the Expat labor health center in Rumaithiya very soon.