Kuwait Times

Published Date: November 05, 2009

KUWAIT: Several members of the Egyptian Parliament's lower house have condemned their government's and the Kuwaiti Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor's decision to sign a contract allowing more than 500 Egyptian women to work as school caretakers in Kuwait. Egyptian MP Mustafa Bakri told Al Jarida that his country's government had insulted the dignity of Egyptians working abroad by agreeing to this contract, adding that a large number of independent MPs have rejected the minister's decision. Bakri said t
hat there are a number of unfair conditions in the contract, adding that the female workers are not allowed to take their husbands and children, also condemning a contractual clause stipulating that the women's employment can be terminated at any time without a need to state the reasons behind the decision.

Raped schoolgirl sent for tests

KUWAIT: The Public Prosecution Department has ordered that the case of the 15-year-old schoolgirl who was allegedly raped by her uncle be referred to the Criminal Investigation Department pending the results of medical tests on her. Meanwhile, her uncle has been remanded in custody for further questioning, reported Al-Watan. He has reportedly pled not guilty to the charges against him, although he confessed to sexually assaulting his niece when first questioned.

EPA warning to firms

KUWAIT: The Environment Public Authority (EPA) and the Public Authority for Industry (PAI) have agreed that any company premises or factories found to be violating environmental regulations will have their operating licenses withdrawn, a senior official revealed. Mohammed Al-Enezi, the chairman of the joint committee consisting of senior officials from both bodies, told local daily Al-Rai that they had unanimously agreed on the decision. Al-Enezi revealed that a two-week inspection campaign is shortly to b
e carried out on companies and commercial production facilities in southern Kuwait, with the resulting report to be submitted to the cabinet for study.

School exam marking system

KUWAIT: A full report into the implementation of uniform quality control standards governing the marking of final school exams has been completed and is to be submitted to education minister Moudhi Al-Humoud for final approval shortly, according to a senior Ministry of Education (MoE) official speaking on Tuesday. Mona Al-Loghani, the Assistant Undersecretary for Public Education, said that discussions during a recent meeting with colleagues had focused on a proposal to revert to the previous system of mar
king final examinations under one comprehensive classification method, as opposed to continuing with the six-category system introduced last year. The undersecretary revealed that other subjects under discussion at the meeting included the possibility of introducing alternative emergency plans in the event of any spread of the swine flu virus.


Hajj applications

KUWAIT: Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, has called for faster processing of bedoon Ministry of Defense staff applicants' applications to perform Hajj, as well as approaching the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Kuwait to ensure that they receive the necessary Hajj visas. The 300 bedoon applicants are performing the pilgrimage as part of an initiative organized by Sheikh Jaber, the first time a minister has intervened to help bedoons wishing to make Hajj.
The MoD senior administration yesterday began processing the bedoon soldiers' passports in order to finalize the list so that it can be submitted to the Saudi embassy next week.

Cancer conference

KUWAIT: A senior Kuwait University official said yesterday that the forthcoming First National Conference on Cancer Control, being held on November 9 and 10, aims to study the spread of the disease in the country. Speaking at a press conference held yesterday, Dr. Abdullah Behbehani, the university's Vice Rector for Medical Sciences, said that the two-day conference will examine local and global statistics and answer questions addressed by politicians and activists working in this area. Behbehani stressed
the importance of holding such medical conferences in Kuwait to develop a policy of disease prevention. He said the forthcoming conference also seeks to regulate the Ministry of Health's strategic plans to control the disease, underlining the importance of carrying out periodic detection of diseases through early screening programs for men and women.

MoE directors' to be transferred

KUWAIT: The Minister of Education and Higher Education has recently issued a decree to exempt directors who seek to be transferred to the Kuwait University (KU), the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), from its previous ruling that require them to finish a three-year bond period before they become eligible for a transfer, reported Al-Watan. The new decision was arrived at based on the Civil Service Commission's (CSC) regulati
ons.