KUWAIT CITY, June 15: The National Society for Child Protection (NSCP) considers the decision of the Ministry of Higher Education to stop scholarships in medical specializations (human medicine, dentistry, doctor of pharmacy) in Egyptian and Jordanian universities as the first important step to provide effective, practical and painful solutions as well, to amend the deviation of the path of higher education abroad, especially in medical specialties because at stake are the lives and health of citizens and residents, reports Al-Jarida daily. The society said the attack launched by the MPs on the decision are considered electoral gimmick to tickle the feelings of the voters, and was done hastily and out of ignorance and lack of knowledge, noting that the suspension of scholarships to Egypt and Jordan came after an extensive study, and after two delegations visited the Egyptian and Jordanian universities and evaluated some higher education institutions there.

The two delegations submitted their reports, as it came on the recommendation of the “Committee for Setting Standards and Determining Institutions of Higher Education in Medical Specialties Outside Kuwait”, and with the approval of the Board of Directors of the “National Agency for Academic Accreditation and Education Quality Assurance”, on June 4 of this year. This decision did not come out of the blue or without a thorough study as some tried to portray and challenge it.

The reports concluded that there is a large number of students that do not correspond to the capabilities of the Egyptian and Jordanian university facilities, and it was found that there is a “special path” for students coming from Kuwait without adequately training, which put pressure on the staff. The medical staff then has to train these students again in Kuwait, as the number of such students has reached five thousand and this situation drains the resources of the Ministry of Health.