MoE’s decision affecting many students: lawyer

MoE’s decision affecting many students: lawyer

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 21: The Ministry of Education’s decision not to recognize university degrees from certain countries has affected many students, including Kuwaitis and expats, says a Kuwaiti lawyer. Talking to the Arab Times on Tuesday, Labeed Abdal noted that the Educational Attaches at the Kuwaiti embassies abroad should coordinate with the Education Ministry in order to tide over the problems facing Kuwaiti students. Elaborating the point further, he added: “Several of my clients are suing the ministry for failing to recognize their degrees even though these students had checked with the ministry about the credibility of their colleges and the ministry had given them the go-ahead. In other words, I think these students are being victimized and their future is at stake. The ministry should look into the matter and take corrective measures as soon as possible.” “I have been following up the issue with members of Parliament and they have promised me that they will look into the matter on a priority basis.”
FailHe added that students who fail to secure admission in Kuwait go overseas for studies and that the ministry should render them the required assistance. Abdal urged students, who wish to study abroad, to contact the Educational Section at the Kuwait embassy to ensure that the college is recognized by Kuwaiti authorities. “Just imagine the trauma these young graduates have to endure when they are told that their degrees are not being recognized. And this has happened to students who hold degrees from universities in various countries such as Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon, the US, among others.” Citing an example, he said one of his clients upon obtaining a degree from a university in the US got a job at the Ministry of Information, even as the latter told him to get his credentials attested from the concerned ministry. “My client has a specialized degree in a rare subject and as such the ministry asked him to join work forthwith while his degree was being verified. What followed was utter disappointment for him as he was told that two of his subjects were not recognized by the ministry and as a result he lost his job even as the student has filed a case against the ministry.”
AttestedIn another case, he said a Kuwaiti secured a degree in law from a university in Lebanon and the same was attested by the Education Department of the Kuwaiti embassy in Lebanon but the ministry refused to validate the same degree. Referring to the validation process, he said the ministry should hire competent officials with regards to the attestation of the degrees and unless that happens problems will continue to plague professionals. Abdal went on to explain that this has been one of the main reasons why professionals were staying away from Kuwait, even as the ministry was taking far too long to validate their certificates without citing any reasons. “In some cases it has taken as long as three years when it should have not taken more than three months. And here the role of the Education wing at the Kuwaiti embassies abroad comes into play. They need to coordinate with the respective universities to speed up the degree validation process,” he concluded.

By Francis A. Clifford CardozoArab Times Staff

http://www.arabtimesonline.com/kuwaitnews/pagesdetails.asp?nid=23781&ccid=9