Al-Olayan and Al-Issa submit a law proposal regarding organizing scholarships for master’s

Representatives Hamad Al-Olayan and Abdul-Wahhab Al-Issa presented a proposal for a law regarding organizing scholarships for master’s and doctoral students. The proposal was as follows:

Article One:

The state shall bear all expenses and expenses of every Kuwaiti who has completed university studies, inside or outside the country, and wishes to complete postgraduate studies in the (Master’s or Doctorate) program, in accordance with the following conditions:

1 - The concerned applicant must have final acceptance to study for a master’s or doctoral degree at one of the distinguished universities included in the list prepared by the Ministry of Higher Education.

2 - The specialization in which the applicant will complete his studies in the master’s or doctoral program must be in one of the required specializations according to the list prepared for that purpose by the Civil Service Commission.

3 - The applicant must not have previously obtained a scholarship, at any stage of study, at the expense of the state, and he stumbled upon it, was expelled, or decided not to continue the scholarship.

Article Two: The expenses and expenditures referred to in the previous article include tuition fees, travel, housing, living, and health care for those subject to its provisions.

Article Three: The recipient of the scholarship is granted a sabbatical study leave if he is a government employee, but if he works in the private sector, the provisions of Article 75 of Law No. 6 of 2010 regarding work in the private sector apply.

Article Four: The executive regulations of this law shall be issued by decree based on the proposal of the competent minister within three months from the effective date of the provisions of this law.

Article Five: Every provision that conflicts with the provisions of this law shall be repealed.

Article Six: The Prime Minister and the ministers - each within his jurisdiction - must implement this law, and it will come into effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

The explanatory memorandum for the proposed law regarding organizing scholarships for master’s and doctoral students is as follows:

The Constitution stipulates in Article 13 that education is an essential pillar for the progress of society, guaranteed and sponsored by the state. It also stipulates in Article 14 that “the state shall sponsor sciences, literature, and the arts and encourage scientific research.” Education today is a strategic national investment and a future vision for creating tomorrow's leaders, and a major contributor to reforming and developing the desired educational system, and advancing education in light of the priorities of educational work. Perhaps this educational development law will have its effects reflected on many levels within Kuwaiti society, represented by advancing the education process and raising the level of scientific competencies.

Based on the legislator’s keenness to promote human development and invest in building and qualifying the Kuwaiti citizen as the country’s true wealth, to diversify education policies, philosophies and curricula, and to provide the opportunity to study in prestigious universities with a high reputation, this law came in the context of a strategic vision to develop education and develop all its sectors internally and externally.

In order for the legislator to expand the benefit base, this law did not restrict the benefit from its provisions to traditional conditions such as age, date and rate of graduation from the university. Benefits from its provisions also include the employee, in the public or private sector, and the recent graduate.

The first article of the law obliges the state to bear all expenses and costs of studying Kuwaiti students at the master’s or doctoral level. The same article also sets the conditions that must be met by an applicant to complete a master’s or doctoral study, and the most important of these conditions is for the student to obtain final acceptance into one of the following: Distinguished universities included in the list prepared by the Ministry of Higher Education.

The specialization in which the applicant will complete his studies in the master’s or doctoral program, and in which he has obtained final acceptance, must be in one of the required specializations according to the list prepared for that by the Civil Service Commission, and the applicant in question must not have previously obtained a scholarship, at any stage. Study, at the expense of the state, and he stumbled upon it, was expelled, or decided not to continue the scholarship.

As for the second article of the law, it clarifies what is meant by expenses and disbursements, so that the state bears tuition fees, travel, housing, living, and health care for those subject to its provisions.

The legislator is aware of the necessity of having some detailed controls necessary to implement this law, Article Three of this law stipulates that an executive regulation for this law must be issued by decree within three months from the date of its implementation.