KUWAIT CITY, Jan 2: With the end of the New Year holidays, employees of government agencies and state institutions resumed work as usual in their sectors. The attendance rate ranged between 80 and 90 percent, except the Ministry of Justice, which witnessed an attendance rate of 67 percent, followed by the Ministry of Electricity and Water with 70 percent.

While work was organized in all sectors of ministries and government institutions, it was noticeable that the number of visitors to most government agencies was lesser than usual, as most of them expected that the majority of employees would not show up. The Ministry of Education recorded full attendance, as schools appeared fully prepared to receive students in the tenth and eleventh grades to resume their exams. The schools in the elementary and intermediate levels started distributing certificates to students.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health recorded an attendance rate of 95 percent Also, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Mutairi accepted the resignation of the Director of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Dr. Najah Al-Zenki. The following are the details of the work activities in the state ministries on the first day after the New Year holidays:

Ministry of Education
Employees at the Ministry of Education resumed their work yesterday morning in full swing such that the attendance rate was 90 percent, and only those with medical excuses or on vacations were absent. A large number of visitors rushed to the employees’ offices to complete their transactions. Meanwhile, elementary and intermediate schools yesterday morning started announcing the results of the first semester exams. The students in the tenth and eleventh grades will be completing their remaining exams today and tomorrow. The twelfth-grade students will sit for their exams from Sunday until January 18.

Ministry of Public Works
Employees at the Ministry of Public Works resumed their work at the headquarters of the ministry located in the south of Sorra with an average attendance of roughly 75 percent at the different technical and administrative departments including drainage plants, emergency sections at the entire governorates as well as the construction departments, major projects, and road maintenance. According to sources, the employees work according to shift systems as stated by the Civil Services Commission CSC which stipulates that technicians and engineers must follow up the work during vacations in addition to the hotline of the ministry which is available 24/7. Employees of the Ministry of Public Works flocked to their shifts yesterday morning in the ministry’s offices in South Surra, such that the attendance rate was about 75 percent in most administrative and technical sectors, especially in wastewater treatment and purification plants and emergency centers affiliated with the ministry in all governorates, as well as the sectors related to construction, major projects, and road maintenance.

Ministry of Electricity, Water
Employees of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Energy resumed work in all sectors of the ministry such that the attendance rate was about 70 percent in most of the administrative and technical sectors and external sites affiliated with the ministry, especially electricity and water production plants, consumer affairs offices, and other departments and units affiliated with the ministry in the various governorates. According to informed sources in the ministry, the corridors of the ministry witnessed an influx of visitors, both from outside the ministry who came to complete their transactions related to customer affairs and connecting electricity, and from within the ministry, who are employees wishing to obtain “To Whom It May Concern” certificates and other transactions.

Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health witnessed remarkable attendance by both employees and visitors in various sectors and departments since the early hours of yesterday morning. The attendance rate of employees ranged between 80 percent to 95 percent, depending on the nature of work in these sectors. The attendance rate in hospitals and dispensaries ranged from 90 percent to 95 percent. The attendance rates in the administrative and technical sectors reached about 90 percent. It is worth highlighting that the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Mutairi accepted the resignation of the Director of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Dr. Najah Al- Zanki, applicable from January 2, 2024, after 33 years of service.

Ministry of Justice
The corridors of the Ministry of Justice and the courts witnessed an attendance rate of about 67 percent by employees. Most of the employees were keen to come to work early in the morning and register their attendance using their fingerprints, except for official absences. However, it was noticeable that there was a weak turnout of visitors. A tour of the Justice Palace revealed regular workflow since the early morning hours. One of the administrators in the Ministry of Justice said the rate of attendance after the New Year’s holiday in the ministry’s sectors, both within the ministries complex and in its affiliated departments in the courts, was normal. The attendance rate was 67 percent and the rate of absenteeism was 33 percent. The majority of absences are legal, either through periodic leaves or medical leaves.

Ministry of Interior
From the early morning hours of January 2, civilian employees of the Ministry of Interior began work at their workplaces such that the rate of attendance was normal, except for those absent on sick or regular leave by the regulations. Despite the digital transformation in the ministry’s service sectors, employees did not miss their work in the sectors of residency affairs, citizen service centers, nationality, passports, and the General Traffic Department. All departments worked at full capacity, but the low number of visitors was evident.

Ministry of Social Affairs
The employees of the Ministry of Social Affairs resumed work yesterday morning such that the attendance rate reached 88 percent. The absences among employees were due to normal leaves and sick leave. However, the lower number of visitors was noticeable.

Ministry of Awqaf
The employees of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs resumed work as usual, such that the ministry recorded an attendance rate of about 90 percent. However, the rate of visitors to the ministry’s sectors was weak to moderate.

Kuwait Municipality
The Director General of Kuwait Municipality Saud Al-Dabbous affirmed the commitment of the employees in all departments of Kuwait Municipality to the official working hours on the first working day of 2024. He indicated that all employees began their work smoothly and received visitors. adding that the transactions and services available on the municipality’s website were completed smoothly. In a press statement, Al-Dabbous affirmed that the absent employees had committed to submitting their leave requests an appropriate period before the holiday and obtained approvals for their leaves by the controls and laws in force in the Department of Personnel Affairs in the municipality and approved by the Civil Service Commission.

By Abdul Rahman Al-Shammari, Mohammad Ghanem, Marwa Al-Bahrawi, Jaber Al-Hamoud, Munaif Nayef, Abdul Nasser Al- Aslami, Inaas Awad and Fares Al-Abdan
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff