KUWAIT: Scores of citizens who recently graduated with degrees in petroleum specialties yesterday gathered outside Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) headquarters in Shuwaikh in protest of being excluded from the admission exams to apply for jobs in the oil sector. Chairman of the oil sector employees syndicates union Mohammed Al-Hajri said the union had repeatedly urged KPC to employ the annually growing number of graduates. "It is unacceptable that petroleum engineers remain jobless in an oil-producing country," he said, calling for making the admission tests easier.

KPC CEO Hashem Hashem had earlier announced launching the use of the '360 evaluation system' known as 'VICAT' at KPC and its subsidiaries. In directives issued to all KPC staff, Hashem pointed that the new system will be a major investment in employees' careers and stressed that it will provide opportunities to keep developing skills, leadership capabilities and present and future aspirations.

Sharia College
Head of Kuwait University's Sharia Society Ahmed Al-Azmi expressed total rejection of what he described as calls to close down the Sharia College and stressed the labor market is widely open for the college's graduates to work as imams, preachers, jurists and sharia scholars, who are as needed in a society just like as doctors, engineers and other graduates.

Phone bills
The Ministry of Services urged all landline subscribers to pay their bills to avoid disconnection of the service as part of March's programmed disconnection system. The ministry explained that subscribers with overdue bills will receive the first automated warning message on Sunday, March 17, followed by a second one on March 24 before disconnecting the service for those who do not comply by March 31. The ministry explained that subscribers whose bills exceed KD 50 for house lines and KD 100 for commercial lines will have the service disconnected, in addition to those who had already rescheduled their bills and failed to pay the monthly installments. In addition, those who have not paid their annual subscription for over six months will have the service disconnected. Notably, phone bills can be paid online at www.moc.kw and www.e.gov.kw.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi