Manama: Kuwait’s education minister has warned against the incursion of politics into education, saying that it was the most ominous threat to the country.
Referring to reports that some head teachers were staging a demonstration to protest against a decision to make them teach one class in addition to their duties, Nayef Al Hajraf said that “demonstrations and rallies to issue demands” were a “new culture”.
“This new culture can be accepted anywhere, but not in the education ministry,” he said, local media reported. “The education personnel is not part of such practices, and in spite of my respect for the demonstrators, I do not agree with sit-ins. There are several ways to express points of views that preserve the rights of all parties. The most dangerous threat to Kuwait is the incursion of politics in education,” he said as he toured some schools as they re-opened after the summer holidays.
The case of the protesting head teachers would be taken up by senior officials at the ministry, he said.
However, the minister insisted on the need for special aptitudes by teachers.
“Those who do not have the capability to assume the honour of the education mission should appreciate there are many other jobs offered in all the institutions of the state,” he said, quoted by local daily Al Seyassah on Monday.
This week, Kuwait students are returning to class, but the ministry said that the back to school process would be gradual and over the five days of the week, starting with the nurseries and elementary schools and ending with the high schools.
