Manama: Kuwait's education ministry is grappling with a delicate situation after only slightly more than half of the foreign teachers expected to take up positions in the country have arrived.
According to Kuwaiti media, the ministry is now seeking quick solutions after only 546 out of 1,006 Arab teachers have arrived in Kuwait, a few days ahead of the new academic year.
A contingent of 44 teachers from Tunisia has not yet arrived, reportedly for reasons related to their country, while 79 teachers from Egypt, Jordan and Syria have said that they would not be going to Kuwait.
Sources told Al Wasat daily that 128 out of 198 Jordanians, 297 out of 458 Syrians and 121 out of 306 Egyptians had arrived in Kuwait, prompting the education authorities into action to find solutions with their home countries to ensure their arrival on time for the academic year.
Kuwait regularly holds seminars and workshops for new foreign teachers to help them gain insights into the local education system and the culture prevailing in school and in the Kuwaiti society.
Arab teachers are often recruited through a process of personal interviews in their home countries and on the basis of their teaching experience and their perceived ability to integrate into the Kuwaiti society.
