KUWAIT: The President of the Teachers Association, Hamad Al-Houli, called for the approval of the screen allowance for members of the educational staff after the issuance of the decision of the Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Adel Al-Mana, on October 17 regarding the list of policies and controls of distance education. The decision included activating the use of available distance education tools represented in the use of Microsoft Office.

Al-Houli indicated that the association sent a letter to Minister Dr Al-Mana that included all legal opinions confirming the eligibility of the screen allowance for the members of the educational staff addressed in the ministry’s decision and asked him to coordinate and address the Civil Service Bureau to approve and disburse the allowance in the coming weeks.

“The ministerial decision issued in this regard and the policies and controls of distance education included in it confirmed what the educational body is exposed directly to automated and electronic systems throughout official working hours to complete their work and provide the data required by the nature of their work and the health risks that will result from the rays released by these screens,” he explained.

It is worth noting that the Teachers’ Association demanded the need to quickly pay the screen allowance to the members of the educational staff assigned to work on the team’s program and educational portals during the COVID-19 crisis in accordance with the regulations stipulated in this regard.

Al-Houli described it as surprising and unjustified, especially with the presence of all legal opinions from the Ministry of Education, Fatwa and Legislation in the Council of Ministers that members of the educational staff working on screens are entitled to pay the screen allowance under the decision of the Civil Service Council regarding granting Kuwaiti employees working on screens in government agencies.

The association called on the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and the National Assembly Issa Al-Kandari to consider this file urgently and pay it all the attention and care by demanding a quick response by the Civil Service Bureau.