For the first time, in sixty years of parliamentary experience, a unique National Assembly is characterized by the following three things: First: It agrees and is consistent, sometimes to the extent of submitting, to all the demands of the government, including the management of the council, with rare exceptions. Second: The predominance of religious extremism over the tendencies of the majority of its members, and the rest of the party conforming to them, often due to their inability to stand up to the trend of extremism. Third: The Council is completely devoid of any member representing the liberal current, despite the fact that it is the strongest current, numerically, and the weakest and most negative of others, especially in the interior regions.
I had hoped that MPs Hamad Al- Olayan and Abd-Wahhab Al-Issa would embody a perspective I could relate to, but it appears they’ve veered towards the factions of opportunism and extremism. They’ve become akin to others, advocating a proliferation of demands and proposed laws dressed in the guise of Sharia, insisting on aligning every matter with it. Their demands, however, are not only logically, rationally, and practically untenable, but also diverge from the broader global trends and our own societal context.
Moreover, their propositions go against human nature’s innate inclination towards freedom and autonomy. Among the perplexing proposals put forth by these two deputies, for whom I still retain some respect and regard, is the draft law they have submitted concerning government funding for individuals pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees. It seems they fail to recognize that their request parallels asking the government to provide every citizen with an additional loan to construct a fourth or fifth floor, oblivious to the structural limits that cannot support such expansion. My esteemed Hamad and Abdul- Wahhab, education in Kuwait has never plunged to such depths.
The curricula remain subpar, exam integrity is compromised, a significant portion of the teaching staff lacks competence, and even the condition of school buildings is far from ideal. I believe many concur that we have hit rock bottom in terms of education, ethics, and values. Our imperative is a comprehensive educational reform, akin to learning to walk before we prepare to take flight. The jeopardy facing education implies a peril to the entire nation’s future.
We, collectively as the public, government, and parliament, have tacitly accepted the fact that 40,000 students have passed exams through dishonest means without a formal outcry. Yet now, they come forward demanding government funding for those aspiring to obtain doctoral degrees. For the majority who currently possess these degrees, there’s little utility or satisfaction. This proposal may exacerbate the situation by artifi- cially inflating their numbers. Enhancing our situation doesn’t hinge on merely increasing the count of PhD holders; it necessitates a comprehensive overhaul of our education system.
This isn’t to slight the dedicated few who hold this qualification with genuine merit; however, it’s become a symbol subject to manipulation. Importantly, many esteemed universities abroad won’t admit our students for doctoral studies due to their inadequate academic standing. You, my dear Abd al-Wahhab, possess good capabilities and sound logic, and we hope that you and your colleague will return to the call for the civil state to which you both belong, and to abandon the call for a state of backwardness and darkness.
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e-mail: [email protected]
By Ahmad alsarraf
