Several expat teachers issue statement after MP criticism – ‘Entire academic process based on several factors’
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KUWAIT CITY, Feb 5: Several expatriate teachers in the public schools of Kuwait have issued a strongly-worded press statement in response to the statement made by MP Safa Al-Hashim, who had accused expatriate teachers, especially teachers from Egypt, of being the reason behind the low academic performance in Kuwait.
In the statement, which contained ten explanatory points, the teachers stressed that MP Al-Hashim, in the past few weeks, has been “hurting the ears and feelings of the expatriates living in this country — hard working expatriates who are working in honor, nobility and diligence. However, we assumed that such statements represented an internal affair of the country, which was why we did not respond”. MP Al-Hashim mentioned Egypt and Egyptians in her statement, which gave the Egyptian expatriates in Kuwait the right to respond.
Unfortunately, the MP’s statement was based on either misinformation or ignorance of the reality of the situation. Regarding the number of expatriate teachers in Ministry of Education, recent statistics show that there are a total number of 61,595 teachers of which 37,227 teachers are Kuwaitis, which is 60 percent of the total number, whereas only 40 percent teachers are expatriates, which is 24,368. Regarding the low academic performance reported by one of the renowned academic institution index, the teachers explained in the statement that a performance test was conducted on boys and girls of class 4 and lower primary where the concerned authorities implemented “Kuwaitization” of the teaching staff to more than 80 percent.
Egypt’s ranking in the same index was based on academic infrastructure in terms of the number of schools, density of students and quality of the buildings, in addition to lack of various educational technologies due to the economic situation of the country, which means the ranking was not based on the academic produce of Egypt. The statement highlighted the fact that expatriate teachers were the ones who taught the MP’s first teachers, adding, “Without bragging, thousands and thousands graduated because of expatriate teachers and continue to shine in various aspects such that there is no need to mention even their names”.
Concerning the quality of teachers, the statement stressed that quality of Egyptian teachers in Kuwait is the same found in Qatar, which has been ranked fourth internationally in education performance index. The teachers asked, “How then did Qatar and the United Arab Emirates outdo Kuwait academically?” The statement indicated that Egyptian students in Kuwait are always among the top performers, adding that expatriate teachers represent just an implementation tool which the officials use in every education and academic aspect without considering the opinion of the teachers who are in the field.
The teachers insisted, “Before accusing expatriate teachers of slackness which resulted in deterioration of the academic performance, you should understand that the entire academic process is based on several factors including the teachers, students, curricula and prevailing academic related policies in the country among other things. The statement explained that one of the worst mistakes sustained by the academic entity in this country is the “Kuwaitization” of lower primary class, which is an important stage in any academic system, because it is considered as the foundation of the child’s academic journey and hence has to be strong.
By Rana Salem Al-Seyassah Staff
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