Kuwait to introduce unified system for foreign high school diplomas

Kuwait’s government is preparing a new system to recognize foreign high school diplomas. The plan is meant to address concerns about fairness in the state’s overseas scholarship program.

Each year, thousands of Kuwaiti students apply for fully funded scholarships to study abroad. The program is open to graduates of public, private and foreign schools.

But critics say it favors students from foreign-language private schools, eventhough officials have rejected those claims.

On Wednesday, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr Nader Al-Jallal and Minister of Education Jalal Al-Tabtabai met to discuss a unified process. Senior ministry officials and representatives from higher education institutions also attended.

In a joint statement, the ministers said they reviewed “organizational and technical aspects of the recognition process in a way that limits grade inflation and ensures fairness and equal opportunity for graduates of the Ministry of Education who wish to join various higher education institutions inside and outside the country".

They also underlined “the importance of continuing coordination and working in a team spirit between the two sides to reach an integrated and fair system that reinforces confidence in the mechanisms for recognizing foreign secondary school certificates".

The ministers pledged to carry out the measures quickly. Their statement said the changes would “ensure swift completion and achieve the desired goals".

According to the ministries, the new framework will bring all procedures under one system. They said it will serve the interests of students and their families.