KUWAIT CITY, March 3: The Ministry of Education is facing a growing challenge -- a significant shortage of male Mathematics teachers at various educational levels. This issue has prompted the ministry to explore comprehensive and radical steps to address the shortage and ensure the efficient continuation of the educational process. Acting General Supervisor for Mathematics Dalal Al- Hajraf has submitted a proposal to acting Undersecretary of the ministry Mansour Al-Dhafiri, stating four primary solutions to address the problem. One of the main suggestions is increasing the allowances for supervisors, such as the head of the Mathematics Department and the technical supervisor, with the condition that these allowances will be revoked if the individual is transferred to an administrative position. The proposal also suggests increasing financial support for male students pursuing Mathematics major at Kuwait University, to attract more male students to this field.

Furthermore, it recommends opening the Mathematics major at the College of Education to Gulf students and children of Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis, to compensate for the lack of male students in this field. Lastly, the proposal advocates for the acceptance of civil engineering graduates as candidates for Mathematics teaching positions to expand the pool of candidates for such a vital academic post. Al-Hajraf disclosed that field observations have shown a continuous decline in the number of male Kuwaiti Mathematics teachers at all educational levels. “This trend signals a potential crisis in the coming years, particularly in supervisory roles such as department heads and technical supervisors. There has been a noticeable decrease in the number of Kuwait University graduates specializing in Mathematics, as well as a growing reluctance among students to pursue this specialization,” she explained.