Kuwait City: While many high school students are joyous about receiving high marks, Kuwait’s Ministry of High Education is worried about the limited number of admission spaces in relation to the vast number of graduated students.
Although there are many reasons to explain the high percentage of ‘excellent’ students, one of the main reasons is the cancellation of final exams, a source told Al Qabas.
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An education source told Al Rai media that the large number of high grades will likely lead to a two-year admission crisis, since all students that meet the requirements are required to receive a university seat.
The source added that the private universities, and the applied education and training colleges, in Kuwait do not have the capacity to accept all the students. In addition, it is too late to send students on governmental scholarships abroad as most universities in America and Europe have begun the new academic year.
It is unlikely the Ministry of Higher Education will raise the acceptance rates, as it did so only two years ago.
If the various other institutions are unable to accept students, the source pointed out that the government might have to open a government university in the old Kuwait University buildings.
The Kuwait University Council will be meeting today, to discuss the university admission crisis. A source within the council told Al Qabas: “There is no change to the rule that if any person is eligible they will be accepted.”
Effect of no exams
On June 16, the Minister of Education, Dr Saud Al Harbi, announced that the 2019/2020 school year, for public schools, had ended after schools were suspended since March 12.
All students’ grades, kindergarten to 11th grade, were based on the first semester and all students that have passed more than 4 subjects graduated to the next year.
According to a research done by Ibrahinm Al Houti, a researcher in comparative educational policies, the success rate in the scientific field went up 29 per cent since the previous year. As for the literary track, the average grades’ for students is 97.89 this year, compared to 63.46 per cent last year.
Online learning and cheating
A professor of education at Kuwait University, Dr Laila Al Khayyat, pointed out that the reason for so many high grades amongst high school students is because e-learning has made cheating easier.
She told Al Qabas, “We know that students have been allowing research and report preparation centres to do their work for them.”
