KUWAIT: Minister of Education Dr Sayed Jalal Al-Tabtabaei has issued a ministerial resolution outlining new mechanisms and standards for exam administration, oversight and grading across all educational zones and academic levels. The decision introduces comprehensive regulations governing the selection of committee members, their numbers, as well as the formation and nomination process for special committees and national supervisors.

In a press statement released Thursday, the Ministry of Education affirmed the minister’s commitment to curbing unnecessary expenditure through the optimization of committee appointments and financial allocations for additional tasks. Al-Tabtabaei underscored the importance of aligning committee appointments with actual needs and workload requirements, in order to enhance operational efficiency and eliminate excessive spending.

The minister stated that the objective of the resolution is to implement fair, transparent standards for appointing examination committees based on the qualifications and expertise of education professionals. He emphasized that the new framework is designed to ensure quality performance in examination procedures while aligning committee size with the actual number of students in the scientific, literary, and religious education streams.

The resolution includes a detailed schedule to guide the selection and assignment of staff to various committees and introduces an electronic linkage between student records and staff assignments. This provision prohibits the assignment of employees who are the parents of first- or second-class students, in an effort to uphold transparency, prevent conflicts of interest, and safeguard the integrity of the examination process.

Al-Tabtabaei further highlighted that the decision sets precise criteria for determining the number of committee members and work periods, corresponding with the volume of exam-related tasks. The updated controls are expected to generate an estimated savings of KD 650,000 in committee bonuses compared to previous years. This initiative, the minister added, reflects the Ministry’s broader strategy to rationalize expenditures and optimize the use of financial resources without compromising the quality or standards of the educational system. — KUNA