KUWAIT CITY, Feb 29: The “Be Fair to Me” campaign, organized by a group of specialists in the field of information systems and digital technology, launched its activities recently with a symposium hosted by Saud Al-Hayyan Office under the title “Challenges of the Information Systems Sector in Kuwait.” The symposium was moderated by the official spokesman of the Sahel application Yousef Kazem, with the participation of the former head of the Central Agency for Information Technology Qusay Al-Shatti, the cybersecurity advisor Hussein Al-Nakas, Head of the cybersecurity committee in the Kuwait Electronic Media Union Muhammad Al-Rashidi, and the Director of the Automation Center Department in the Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy Saud Al-Hayyan. Kazem opened the symposium with a brief introduction in which he highlighted that the “Be fair with me” campaign is a national youth campaign targeting justice for workers in the field of technology and information systems, especially since they are considered a rare group at present, but do not receive sufficient appreciation for their efforts despite their great importance, particularly during the period of COVID-19 pandemic.

He clarified the reasons for the reluctance of national cadres to work in the field of information technology in the government sector, the most important of which is that they do not receive sufficient appreciation for their efforts. Kazem stressed the need for workers in the field of digital technology to obtain the justice and status they deserve due to their importance in achieving cyber security for the country, which will reflect positively on promoting sustainable development and achieving the New Kuwait 2035 vision. In this regard, the former head of the Central Agency for Information Technology Qusai Al-Shatti said Kuwaiti skill and competence are not valued in the field of information technology in the government sector, because the criterion for evaluation depends on the principle of seniority, not only in the field of information technology, but also in various other fields in the country. He explained that the evaluation standard in the field of information technology has completely changed at present, as it has become more dependent on skill than certification in selecting those qualified to work in its various sectors.

Through his personal experience, he believes that employing Kuwaiti workers in the private information technology sector is better than employing foreign workers for several reasons, the most important of which is that it is a step towards investing in national cadres and building a mechanism for innovation and creativity. Also, the financial obligations of the Kuwaiti employees will be lesser on the employer than the foreign employees. Al-Shatti went on to explain that the percentage of national employment in the private sector in the fields of information technology exceeds 30 percent. Kuwait does not have the appropriate environment for technology-accelerating factors similar to what is being done in neighboring countries, especially the Emirates. The first step to accelerating technology is increasing the number of national cadres working in its various sectors and enhancing their capabilities.

Cybersecurity
Meanwhile, the cybersecurity advisor Hussein Al-Nakas explained that supporting young people to join the private sector is an essential pillar of the New Kuwait 2035 vision. It is a demand worth considering in the current period in light of the digital transformation that the country and the world are witnessing. The rapid progress of digital reality, the automation of information, and the spread of artificial intelligence technologies will lead to the disappearance of many jobs, and other jobs and titles will appear in return.

He indicated that the job titles of workers in the information technology sector and their administrative and technical structures have not been updated by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for years, unlike neighboring countries in the region that have many titles, including artificial intelligence specialist, for example. Al-Nakas stressed the need for Kuwait to modernize legislation and laws related to the work in the information technology sector and its counterparts concerned with cybersecurity and digital transformation. He said all governmental and private efforts must be crystallized to develop a clear strategy for protecting data and information. Al-Nakas praised the efforts of the previous National Assembly in forming a parliamentary committee for cybersecurity and digital transformation, adding, “We live in a race in which everyone who invests more in infrastructure, education and training for national cadres is safe from the harms of cyber wars.”

Kuwaitization
He concluded by calling for the Kuwaitization of jobs in the information technology sector as the first step towards achieving cybersecurity, especially in light of the widespread circulation of data and information that results in loopholes that can be infiltrated. Furthermore, Chairman of the Cybersecurity Committee in the Kuwait Electronic Media Union Muhammad Al-Rashidi revealed that Elon Musk is planning to visit Kuwait to negotiate the establishment of a global center for artificial intelligence to use 700,000 Nvidia B-100 chips for a powerful computing group that works with artificial intelligence and consumes gigawatts of energy. He indicated the possibility that this will reach the level of Zettaflops of computing power. Al-Rashidi affirmed that Kuwait possesses many elements that qualify it to be a global capital of digital technology, including the availability of appropriate infrastructure and low electricity costs. He revealed that a large country was exposed to 623 cyber attacks during the year, which caused 900,000 people to face losses exceeding USD 7 billion.

Al-Rashidi highlighted a defect in statistics on cybersecurity in Kuwait and a lack of interest in qualifying and training employees in the government sector and educating them on ways to protect systems from hacking. He pointed out the state’s responsibility to protect cyber borders just as it protects political borders. Al-Rashidi said the graduation of new batches for the specializations recently approved by Kuwait University for the fields of information technology will bring about a shift and development in cyber security in Kuwait after five years. He concluded by calling for giving confidence to Kuwaiti youth and empowering them with digital jobs to reduce data leakage and achieve cybersecurity. In addition, the Director of the Automation Center Department at the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Saud Al- Hayyan pointed out the most prominent challenges facing the workers in the information technology sector, which were the reasons for launching the “Be Fair to Me” campaign. Among them is the failure to update job titles in line with the outcomes of scholarships and higher education, the distinction between job level conditions (appointment degree) between the Support Engineering Diploma and the Computer Diploma, and the distinction between those holding postgraduate qualifications such as doctorates and masters at the job level when appointed between engineers (two higher degrees) and information technology.

This includes the distinction between members of the training staff at the Public Authority for Applied Education in terms of the nature of work between the category of engineers and computer science, in addition to the similarity and overlap of specializations between a computer engineer and a computer science graduate. Al-Hayyan concluded by stressing that the “Be Fair to Me” campaign seeks to achieve its primary goal of modifying the cadre of information technology workers and updating Civil Service Council’s resolution No. 22/2012.

By Inaas Awad
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff