Fingerprint attendance system exposes workers – Sheikh Salman launches award for youth excellence, creativity

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KUWAIT CITY, Nov 1, (Agencies):  In what was meant to monitor the attendance of employees, the fingerprint attendance system in the Ministry of Information has exposed employees who are supposedly present at their workstation and are actually outside the country or behind bars, reports Al- Rai daily.

Ministry sources said the application of fingerprint attendance system uncovered many employees who continued to receive their monthly salaries although they were absent from duty for several years, in addition to those who traveled abroad without permission and others held behind bars on legal issues.

The same sources affirmed that the authorities next month will start deducting salaries and hold absentees accountable for their actions, along with those who skip the fingerprint attendance system on a regular basis.

They noted the implementation of the system has uncovered the reality of all problems and complications the ministry endured throughout the years, and last week, about 3,000 of the estimated 7,500 employees were compelled to apply for leave, and “the mass leave application’’ was to avoid their inclusion in the fingerprint attendance system, as they fall in the category of ‘absentees and evaders’ of the fingerprint attendance system.

Prior to implementation of the fingerprint system, the number of leave applications in a month ranged between 500 and 800 — distributed between periodical leaves and emergency leaves covering all departments in the ministry.

It is noteworthy the fingerprint system was adopted by the Ministry of Information upon directives from the sector minister Sheikh Salman Al- Hamoud and Undersecretary Tareq Al- Muzrim who vowed to embark on a journey to reform the ministry’s administrative procedures and to improve productivity while protecting public funds and unjustified squandering.

Minister of Information and Minister of State forYouth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al- Humoud Al-Sabah on Sunday announced the launch of Kuwait’s award for youth excellence and creativity. The award, the first of its kind for youth in the Arab World, reiterates the state’s keenness on youth and their projects, giving priority to their ambition as well as promoting their capabilities as the “country’s future and real wealth,” Sheikh Salman told a press conference. He added that the award is also part of the state’s extensive strategy to prepare a young generation that sticks to national values and be a partner in sustainable development through boosting the culture of creativity and the artistic aesthetic sense. Sheikh Salman noted that the award, launched by the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, will constitute an incentive to youth, and reaffirm that Kuwait is doing its best to unleash their creativity. He said that the ministry is highly interested in encouraging creativity and innovation among Kuwaiti youth in all fields, patronizing the gifted.

Incentive

The newly-launched annual award covers 10 fields, providing an incentive for creativity and developing a favorable cultural environment. It offers youth financial and spiritual support to help them play a leading role in the society, the minister noted. For his part, the ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Youth Development Abdulrahamn Al-Mutairi said that the financial value of the award hits KD 100,000 for 10 categories. These include entrepreneurship; education; media; culture and arts; voluntary work; sciences and technology; sports; boosting health; architecture, urban planning and, housing, and sharia sciences, Al-Mutairi noted. Only Kuwaitis aged 14-34 are eligible to apply for the award, the first of its kind in the Arab world. They can apply as of Nov 1 (today) till Jan 14, through the ministry website. Results are to be announced at the beginning of March

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