Yesterday at the school we had the ambulance and paramedics come and give a presentation to the children. It turned out good but I just have some concerns about things in Kuwait. As a foreigner looking at Kuwait I don't see any solidarity amongst themselves. There is a huge separation between the Bedoo and Haather Kuwaitis. Are the children victims of their circumstances? Do they have control of their futures?
It seems that children follow in their father's footsteps. If the father is military they will most likely become part of the military, same goes for police officers. The lucky ones who come from families who have gone to college will likely attend college. All of these questions came when the paramedics arrived. I was expecting Kuwaiti paramedics to explain to the kids their role. An Egyptian and Philipino guy arrived. Not to say that they aren't any good but the kids would never see themselves wanting to become a paramedic if they don't see other Kuwaitis doing the same.
I have thought about introducing Career week to encourage kids to become anything they want to be. They have to feel good and be better than their parents but it starts at home as well as in school. Parents should encourage kids to go to school and on to college. Considering Kuwait provides the kids with college assistance they should all be encouraged to go. If they finish high school or not they can still get a job because of their nationality so they feel they have no reason to even go to school.
I worked in a Kuwaiti company and there was Kuwaiti girl who didn't even finish grade school. She worked as an assistant but she could barely read and write and sat all day putting on make-up and talking on the phone. Boys know they can always go into the military or work as a police officer if they finish high school so why bother going to college? The kids who go to government school are hardly given a chance to succeed in life. Why doesn't the Ministry focus on education? Why not make high school graduation mandatory in order to find a job and if kids have a problem and drop out give them the chance to go back and finish their diploma even if they are older.
In the states we have a diploma and a G.E.D. A diploma is received when graduating from high school and a G.E.D (General Education Diploma) is given when they finish outside of high school. Some people go back in their 20's or older and receive a G.E.D. which means education is always there no matter what age you are.
I guess I've never thought about these issues until I started working at a school. The kids are Kuwaiti except 2 of them and when I look at their faces I see so much potential. It is so hard to recruit decent teachers now that the Ministry has become so freakin' strict. A few years ago American teachers could teach with their certificates or high school diploma. Today we can only hire expat teachers with a degree in English. Do they not realize in America teachers have a degree in education not English. A degree in English is geared toward writing and literature not teaching. We speak English already so we focus on education certificates.
The children are the ones who suffer. In order to fill the gap we resort to hiring non Western teachers and then we receive complaints from parents saying we don't have enough Americans. The only teachers the kids seem to respect are Western teachers. Teachers of Arab nationality are not taken seriously and it's a shame. I have to constantly go to the classes and make sure they are not killing each other, it's a tiring job but I know I can make a difference in their lives even if it's only for a few months a year. I really wish education in this country was a priority and not a place to go for a few hours a day.
In government schools hire Westerners for English. Invest in the future of the country. Bring in firefighters, paramedics, doctors, lawyers and career oriented people to show children they too can achieve their goals if they put their minds to it. Change the image of Kuwaitis. I think it's sad companies are forced to hire Kuwaitis instead of hiring them because they qualify. Think of all the jobs out their for Kuwaiti people if they were all educated. Kuwait wouldn't have to rely on third country nationals to run the country.
I went to Oman a few years ago. I entered the hotel and I saw Omani guys taking my reservation. I was so surprised. During the day there were Omani women at the reservation desk. When it was time for me to leave the guy who took my bags down was Omani. I was really impressed. I already knew about Omaninisation in which the citizens ran their country instead of foreigners. In Bahrain they do all kinds of jobs in order to give their citizens money. In America my first job as a teenager was at Burger King. I worked in the malls and Little Caesars it's not a shame to work in those types of places. It's unfortunate that people here believe they are too good for certain types of jobs. Everyone wants a Ministry job so they can leave at 12. Notice the time changes at the banks. No more split shifts. Hmmm I wonder why?
It's not a shame to work hard and provide for your family no matter what kind of job it is.
wow, I think you should run for President in the next elections in the U.S.A. You go girl!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about a lot of the points! The Ministry Rules are ridiculously stupid, and they don't think it through or have anyone who really thinks about things! They are always late with their educational material and no real updates are done to modernize education.
ReplyDeleteYour right there needs to be more input from the parents, luckily my family pushed hard for education but that isn't really the case. They always say they are spending money but it isn't going where its supposed to, to help the students. And no real encouragement are given to the students.
''The kids who go to government school are hardly given a chance to succeed in life. Why doesn't the Ministry focus on education?''
ReplyDeleteI went to government school, it was easy for me to succeed because I was educated at a government school. Your moronic attempts to depict government schools as inferior, base schools are amusing. Children who attend government schools have just as much chances as succeeding. You do not know how government schools are because you have never attended them nor taught at one. There is nothing wrong with government schools and the majority of high school Kuwaiti graduates who end up attending Western universities getting degrees in Sciences are government school graduates. My mother worked her ass off for 17 years to attend Nottingham University...
Government schools and the test results from government schools are much higher than those of private schools, especially when comparing government school's secondary test results to those of British schools.
Children in government schools perform better than children in private English schools. And who said Kuwaitis don't graduate from high school? Almost 100% of the current adult population of Kuwait have a high school degree. I have no idea where you are obtaining your ''information'' from, I find it hard to believe Kuwaitis don't graduate from high school. Government schools and the students in them are competitive, their averages are exceeding 90% unlike private schools and what I am curious about is why you believe Kuwait isn't offering their children an opportunity to succeed.
All of the adults around me have graduated from high school and university, all of the current teenagers are on their way to graduating. I have never met a Kuwaiti who hasn't graduated from high school.
Maybe the lower class 'trophy wives' is what you're referring to. As a whole, Kuwaitis do graduate from high school and university. I didn't grow up in a professional family, my parents do all work and all of my friends, relatives, distant relatives, and my whole family has graduated from high school and university. The government requires males to complete high school in order to formally apply to the military, it is a requirement. Kuwaitis can't just not graduate from high school and obtain a job with a good real solid salary. Those who become high school drop outs end up being paid little and most of the times hoping for marriage to a man with a good solid salary, these are known as trophy wives (not by the men, they don't have to be attractive, they just need to conform to society). No one in Kuwait can get a real high salary without graduating high school and university.
It's a social taboo to not graduate from high school. Getting 60% in government schools is the equivalence of 'F' there, and is very rare. While at English schools like Gulf English School, getting 50% is the top grade in the class. No one can achieve 90% these days at the private schools my children are enrolled at, the majority of which are very well known and respectable.
Government schools are doing better than private schools, that is an established fact.
I don't understand why Westerners often perceive Kuwait as a third-world, barbaric country.
What on earth is going on here? If you don't like this country, just leave. No one is stopping you or anyone else from leaving.
The ministry does focus immensely on education.
The government of Kuwait is focusing on education more than anything else. If they hire Westerners to teach, what jobs will the Arabs have? Arabs are poorer than Westerns, fact. In government schools, Arab teachers are respected. In private schols, they are not. In government schools, Arabic teachers are feared and highly respected. In private schools they are not because private schools hire any Arab to teach Arabic and religion. Private schools are weaker in discipline than government schools.
I obviously hit a nerve with you. First of all don't act like government schools are the best think since sliced bread. My husband who by the way is Kuwaiti and went to government school can argue against everything you've said. No one said they don't graduate, were you smoking crack when you read it? You sure did imagine a whole bunch of other crap that I never said. Anyways you have written a book on what you think. Like it or not Kuwait is a third world country. I always love when people get all upset over something simple. To each his own.
ReplyDeleteThird world country OMG ur the one whos high go check urself idiot!!
ReplyDeleteIs it true that all children get paid a weekly check untill they are 18?
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