Home economy teachers protest 'unbalanced work'

KUWAIT: Social Affairs Minister Saad Al-Kharraz cancelled a ministry decision made last year to dissolve Al-Salam Charity Society. The ministerial order cancelled the decision number 132 A/2018 that dissolved the society as per a court ruling. In February, the Ministry of Social Affairs' assistant undersecretary for legal affairs Musallam Al-Subaei had announced that the court of first instance annulled the ministry's decision to dissolve Al-Salam Charity Society, but stressed that the sentence was initial and non-binding. Subaei said the ministry would review the verdict and file an appeal to contest it.

In a statement released in December 2018 to explain the reasons behind the dissolution, the Ministry of Social Affairs' assistant undersecretary for social development affairs Hana Al-Hajeri said that the charity committed violations that include launching a fundraising campaign without getting prior approvals, collecting donations in non-designated locations, collecting cash donations, using a voluntary team without getting the ministry's approval and collecting donations without a license. The violations included projects abroad that had been suspended by the foreign ministry, the travel of its members without registering with the foreign ministry's electronic safe travel system and distributing zakat money outside Kuwait, she added. "Despite repeated verbal and written warnings to the society, it committed several violations and broke many regulations," she noted.

Meanwhile, Minister Kharraz also refused to increase social allowance for married students from KD 559 to KD 700, because this will prompt a review of all social allowances, which in turn will burden the budget, he explained. Furthermore, the minister said such a proposal requires a comprehensive study of the financial cost, besides a review of all social assistance to ensure equality between them all. The minister was replying to a proposal by some MPs on that regard.

Teachers' protest
Home economy teachers staged a sit in yesterday to demand justice in what they described as distributing classes among them. They also called the education ministry to appoint supervisors to take over some of the administrative duties they say they were assigned with. According to the teachers, some of their colleagues have obtained permission through 'wasta' (connections) to be shifted to schools with less-demanding volume of work, leaving sections in other schools shorthanded, and teachers there overburdened. Meanwhile, a ministry source who spoke on the condition of anonymity argued that a new curricula introduced this year has caused an average increase of two classes per teacher, noting that a teacher teaches an average of 14-16 classes a week this year.

Financial issues
The National Union of Kuwaiti Students in the United States of America (NUKS USA) faces financial issues because of alleged violations committed by the previous union regarding expenses that have not been settled until today, running over tens of thousands of dollars. The union said treasurer Usama Al-Mutairi exerted all efforts to protect the union from any legal action because of an invoice of the annual conference's hotel that was held in Dallas. He said it was agreed with the former board to hand over all invoices that belong to persons who were not guests at the conference. He said the budget is a trust owned by the students and not members, and because of the remaining invoices, a law firm filed a lawsuit against the union.

New treatment
Director of Kuwait Cancer Fighting Center Dr Ali Al-Mousawi said a new treatment service was introduced at the nuclear medicine department to treat neurohormonal tumors through the use of radioactive material. Head of the nuclear medicine department at the center Dr Farida Al-Kandari said the first patient with nuerohormonal tumors was treated with LU-177 Dota-Tate used in cooperation with the tumor unit and radioactive treatment department. She said this type of treatment is approved by the FDA.

By A Saleh