Kuwait

Partners situated in Kuwait

None.

However, note that Paul Bacsich has experience of being an External Examiner for the Arab Open University in 2006 and then an advisor to the Arab Open University in early 2007 during their revalidation by the UKOU.

Kuwait in a nutshell

Kuwait, or in full the State of Kuwait (Arabic: دولة الكويت‎) is a sovereign Arab emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west. The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water." It has a population of 3.1 million and an area of 17,818 km². Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government and Kuwait City serves as its political and economic capital.

Kuwait has the world's fifth largest proven oil reserves and is the ninth richest country in the world per capita. Kuwait's oil fields were discovered and exploited in the 1930s and after it gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961, the nation's oil industry saw unprecedented growth. Petroleum and petroleum products now account for nearly 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income.

In 1990, Kuwait was invaded and annexed by neighboring Iraq. Kuwait's infrastructure was badly damaged during the war and had to be rebuilt.

Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy and has the oldest directly elected parliament in the Persian Gulf region. The head of state is the Emir or Sheikh, a hereditary office. The Emir appoints a Prime Minister, who until recently was also the Crown Prince. A council of ministers, also known as cabinet ministers, aids the Prime Minister in his task as the head of Government of Kuwait which must contain at least one elected member of the Kuwaiti parliament, known as Majlis Al-Umma (National Assembly). The National Assembly has the power to dismiss the Prime Minister or any member of cabinet through a series of constitutional procedures. All cabinet ministers are answerable to the National Assembly.[25]

The National Assembly consists of fifty elected members, who are chosen in elections held every four years. Government ministers are also granted membership in the parliament and can number up to sixteen excluding the fifty elected members.

Located in the north-east corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Kuwait is one of the smallest countries in the world in terms of land area. The flat, sandy Arabian Desert covers most of Kuwait. Kuwait is the only country in the world which has no natural lake or water reservoir. There is little difference in the country's altitude with the highest point in the country being 306 m above sea-level.

Kuwait has nine islands, all of which with the exception of Failaka Island are uninhabited. With an area of 860 km², the Bubiyan is the largest island in Kuwait and is connected to the rest of the country by a 2,380 m long bridge. Sparse vegetation is found along its 499 km long coastline.

Kuwait City, the capital, is located on Kuwait Bay, a natural deep-water harbour.

Kuwait is divided into six governorates (muhafazat, sing. muhafadhah):

1. Al Ahmadi
2. Al Farwaniyah
3. Al Asimah
4. Al Jahra
5. Hawalli
6. Mubarak Al-Kabeer

The governorates are subdivided into districts.

The major cities are the capital Kuwait City and Jahrah (a thirty-minute drive northwest of Kuwait City). The main residential and business areas are Salmiya and Hawalli. The main industrial area is Shuwaikh within the Al Asimah Governorate. The main palace is the As-Seef Palace in the old part of Kuwait City where the Emir runs the daily matters of the country whilst the government headquarters are in the Bayan Palace and the Emir lives in Dar Salwa.

Kuwait is a highly industrialized country with a GDP (PPP) of US$139 billion and a per capita income of over US$39,000, making it the fourth richest country in the world. Kuwait's human development index (HDI) stands at 0.871, the second highest in Middle East, after Israel and the highest in the Arab world. With a GDP growth rate of 5.7%, Kuwait has one of the fastest growing economies in the region. According to the 2008 Index of Economic Freedom, Kuwait has the second-most free economy in the Middle East. In March 2007, Kuwait's foreign exchange reserves stood at US$213 billion. The Kuwait Stock Exchange, which has about 200 firms listed, is the second-largest stock exchange in the Arab world with a total market capitalization of US$235 billion. In 2007, the Kuwaiti government posted a budget surplus of US$43 billion.

As of 2007, Kuwait's population was estimated to be 3 to 3.5 million people which included approximately 2 million non-nationals. Kuwaiti citizens are therefore a minority of those who reside in Kuwait. The government rarely grants citizenship to foreigners to maintain status quo.

About 57% of the Kuwaiti population is Arab, 39% Asian (including people from South Asia), and 4% are classified Bidoon. Bidoons are a group of stateless Arab residents of Kuwait. Other large groups of expatriates include Assyrians, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Filipinos. In 2003, more than 400,000 Indian nationals lived in Kuwait,[50] making them the largest expatriate community there.

After Kuwait was liberated from Iraqi occupation, most of the 400,000 Palestinians living in Kuwait were expelled because of their government's open support for the Iraqi forces. Only a few thousand Palestinians remain in Kuwait. The population of ethnic Armenians in Kuwait also shrank drastically for some reason following the events of the Iraq-Kuwait war.

Some 80% of Kuwait's population practices Islam. Despite Islam being a state religion, Kuwait has large communities of Christians (est. 300,000 to 400,000), Hindus (est. 300,000), Buddhists (est. 100,000), and Sikhs (est. 10,000). Of the Muslims in Kuwait, 70% are Sunni and 30% are Shia Muslims.

Kuwait's official language is Arabic, though English is widely spoken. Other important languages include Persian, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Urdu,Bengali, and Filipino.

Being a highly cosmopolitan society, Kuwait has a diverse and vibrant culture. However, the influence of Islamic and Arab culture on its architecture, music, attire, cuisine and lifestyle is prominent. The most distinctive characteristic of local Kuwaiti culture are the diwaniyas, a large reception room used for social gatherings attended mostly by close family members.

While the Islamic dress code is not compulsory, many Kuwaiti men prefer wearing thawb, an ankle-length white shirt woven from wool or cotton while some women wear abaya, black over-garment covering most parts of the body. This attire is felt to be particularly well-suited for Kuwait's hot and dry climate. Western-style clothing is also fairly popular, especially among Kuwait's youth.

Seafood has been the mainstay of the Kuwaiti diet for centuries.

The Arabs in the Persian Gulf region played a crucial role in the spice trade between India and Europe and spices have remained an important ingredient of Kuwaiti cuisine. Traditional Kuwaiti cuisine includes Machboos or Kabsa which borrows heavily from South Asian cuisine.

Kuwait education policy

Public schooling is free and compulsory from the age of 5 to 18, and several private schools also teach this age group.

Oil revenues have allowed Kuwait to build an extensive educational system, yielding a literacy rate of 83.5 percent.

Kuwait education system

Schools

In addition to the public schools, there are many private schools in Kuwait, including The English School, which was the first private school to open in Kuwait. Other private schools include the Fahaheel Al-Watanieh Indian Private School (Delhi Public School),Indian Educational School(Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan) Jabriya Indian School, Indian Community School,A'Takamul International School, Al-Bayan Bilingual School, The English Academy, Dasman Model School (Bilingual), Gulf Indian School, Carmel School (Kuwait), The British School of Kuwait, Kuwait English School, The Gulf English School, The American Bilingual School The American School of Kuwait, American International School, universal American school, and The New English School. All private schools offer different and competitive programs, and whilst each school strives to be the best at private education, different parents and expatriates naturally prefer different private schools.

Higher education

Universities and tertiary colleges in Kuwait include:

1. American University of Kuwait
2. American University of The Middle East (AUM)
3. Arab Open University (AOU)
4. Australian College of Kuwait
5. Box Hill College - Kuwait
6. Gulf University for Science and Technology
7. Kuwait-Maastricht Business School
8. Kuwait University

Universities in Kuwait

This section gives more details.

Kuwait University is Kuwait's only public university. The medical school in particular, provides up-to-date training for students.[citation needed] However, both the extensive library system at Kuwait University and the collection at the Kuwait National Museum (1957) were heavily damaged and looted during the Iraqi occupation in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait_University

The Gulf University for Science and Technology was the first private university, established in Kuwait in 2002. It currently has two campuses in Hawalli and a third campus in Mishref where the Australian College of Kuwait is also located. The American University of Kuwait opened in 2004 with Dr. Shafeeq Al-Ghabra as founding president. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_University_for_Science_and_Technology

In September 2008, the American University of the Middle East will open in the suburb of Egaila. See http://www.aum.edu.kw/AxCMSwebLive/index.cms

This will be followed by a satellite campus of Algonquin College in 2009. See http://www.algonquincollege.com/international/

Polytechnics in Kuwait

The Australian College of Kuwait opened in 2004.

Box Hill College Kuwait, an Australian women's college, opened its doors in September 2007 in Abu Halifa. It is an accredited extended campus of Box Hill TAFE, Australia, and offers internationally recognized qualifications.

There are more universities and colleges being discussed.

Higher education reform

The Bologna Process

No information available.

Administration and finance

No information available.

Quality assurance

This appears to depend on the type of institution.

Arab Open University

The Arab Open University is accredited by the UK Open University.

Private universities

Private universities in Kuwait are approved by the Private universities’ Council. This is a government institution chaired by Minister of Higher Education and membership of 8 of experts and specialized in high education of those who shall have no direct or indirect contribution to any educational institution throughout the period of their membership . Such Members shall be appointed by an order of Council of Ministers upon presentation of Minister of High Education. Their appointment’s period shall be for three years renewable for a similar one.

The Private Universities Council ensurea conformity with all rules and stipulations for licensing private educational institutions. In particular, it undertakea to do the following:

• Examine applications for founding private educational institutions
• Determine accreditation requirements for private educational institutions; accredit their educational programs and review their performance to ensure commitment to the provisions of their founding decree.
• Approve standards and conditions that need to be complied with by academic programs at any private educational institution; and reconsider those standards and conditions whenever the need to do that should arise.
• Accredit certificates granted by private educational institutions and equate them based on the relevant rules and criteria.
• Debate whether to suspend or cancel the activities of private educational institutions or even merge them.
• Look into any other matter referred by the Minister

For more details see http://www.puc.edu.kw/en/index.php

Kuwait HEIs in the information society

Towards the information society

Kuwait's Vision towards the Development of an Information Society is described at http://www.kisr.edu.kw/webpages/summit/summit.htm#A.%20%20Kuwaits%20Vision%20towards%20the%20Development%20of%20an%20Information%20Society

Information society strategy

The National ICT Strategy for K-12 education is described at http://www.moe.edu.kw/pages/misc/wathaeg%20feb%202008/wathaeg%20almoashr%20alwa6ani%2017-19feb%202008/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%20%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%20%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%83%D9%86%D9%88%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A7%20%D9%81%D9%8A%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%202.pdf

Virtual initiatives in HE in Kuwait

The Arab Open University appears to be the main actor.

References

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