KUWAIT CITY, Sept 22: Some school principals and assistant principals have withdrawn their resignations and abandoned their early retirement plans after receiving assurances from the Ministry of Education, the Civil Service Commission (CSC), and the Public Institution for Social Security regarding rumors of reduced end-of-service bonuses.
Also, the Ministry of Education has been actively working to address employee concerns on this matter. According to informed sources, the Ministry of Education, currently led (by proxy) by the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Nader Al-Jalal, is facing unprecedented challenges related to administrative vacancies and the management of positions in acting capacities, which has led to widespread concern in the educational sector. With approximately 300 open positions in senior and middle management at the Ministry of Education, including roles such as Minister, Undersecretary, Assistant undersecretary, Directors, and Supervisors of Educational Affairs, the crisis of temporary assignments and vacancies poses a serious challenge that demands urgent resolution to prevent further destabilization of the educational system.
This situation has intensified pressure on the educational process, exacerbating the instability within the educational and supervisory sectors. The sources confirmed that the Ministry of Education has denied rumors about a move to reduce staff or rewards, but these rumors appear to be aimed at creating anxiety within the educational community, adding that the shortage of qualified leaders in supervisory positions has left the field in a state of confusion.
Many teachers and administrators have expressed concerns about the slow pace of decision-making due to the lack of permanent leadership, which hampers the educational process and increases pressure on those working in the field. The sources explained that this crisis has raised worries among educators regarding the impact of these vacancies and assignments on the future of education. If the current situation continues, there may be a decline in educational quality and heightened pressure on schools, especially as teachers face increased responsibilities in the absence of stable leadership. The sources urged the minister to fill the open positions to facilitate the efficient and organized administration of teaching and learning activities.
They explained that the decisionmaker in the education field must address pending issues, which is inherently linked to the minister’s ability to close the large number of vacancies, including those for educational leaders such as the Undersecretary and Assistant Undersecretaries. This is necessary for mitigating the negative impacts of these unfilled roles on the resolution of other urgent matters due to the lack of leadership. There are supervisory position vacancies that urgently require a new operational mechanism in the next phase. The key focus should be on filling these vacancies, which have significantly harmed all aspects of the educational process.
The Ministry of Education is currently managed in an acting capacity due to these vacant leadership and supervisory positions. Filling them is important for stabilizing operations and effectively managing the ministry’s affairs. In addition, there are vacant general manager positions in three educational zones - Jahra, Ahmadi, and Farwaniya - each of which plays a vital role in overseeing thousands of students, teachers, administrators, and hundreds of schools.
By Abdulrahman Al-Shammari
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff
