Bad teachers to lose their jobs -- minister

KUWAIT, May 8 (KUNA) -- The Ministry of Education is in the midst of separating out Kuwaiti teachers and non-Kuwaiti ones with unacceptably low performance levels to be stripped of their teaching duties, said Dr Nayef al-Hajraf, minister of education and higher education in a meeting today with a number of school administrators.
The Kuwaiti teachers who are unfit for their jobs will be relegated to administrative duties only and their non-Kuwaiti peers who fall in the same category will face not having their contracts renewed as teachers, said the minister.
He touched on a number of topics in his meeting with the school administrators from the Ahmadi governorate, among them that up to 100 high school graduates from the governorate will have the opportunity to complete their college education abroad in the field of becoming teachers of students with learning disabilities.
As for acceptance to Kuwait University, he said no change has been done to entry requirements and required GPA averages will be this year the same as the last.
Regarding the ministry's budget, Dr al-Hajraf said it would probably be increased for the upcoming school year, noting that it was the ministry's objective to foster an educational plan that would graduate knowledgeable individuals with competitive abilities to excel in their chosen fields of interest.
The minister further said that beginning with the next school year teachers in schools will be less burdened with non-teaching duties, giving them thus more time to concentrate on their core duties.
Addressing the ubiquitous problem of student- -cheating at examinations, the minister promised strict monitoring rules and punitive measures against apathetic monitors who allow students to cheat with impunity.
He also promised that school curriculums at all learning levels will be revamped and updated under the guidance of Kuwaiti educators and curriculum planners. (end) rkf.ajs KUNA 081710 May 13NNNN