Expats in Kuwait suffer job insecurity

KUWAIT CITY: A total of 2,217 expatriate teachers are expected to return to the country before the new school year as the Supreme Committee for Corona Emergency in the Council of Ministers has approved the request of Education Minister Dr Ali Al-Mudhaf in this regard, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting official sources. Many expatriate teachers suffered from job insecurity as they are stranded in their home countries due to the corona crisis.

Sources confirmed to the daily that the Council of Ministers officially informed the ministry recently regarding the approval of its request to allow the return of teachers of different nationalities. In the next few days, the ministry will take the necessary measures to facilitate the return of the stranded expatriate teachers according to their specializations and lay down a mechanism for renewing the residency permits which expired while they are outside the country.

Many teachers were unable to return to Kuwait due to the airport closure, expatiate travel ban and repercussions of the coronavirus crisis, sources pointed out. Sources disclosed acting Education Ministry Undersecretary Faisal Al- Maqsid will soon discuss with the concerned administrative and public education sectors the decision of the Supreme Committee for Corona Emergency and the expatriate teachers return plan. Sources said these teachers are expected to return at the beginning of the new academic year 2021/2022.

This will be followed by the coordinated efforts of the Interior Ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation to take the necessary measures to ensure the return of the expatriate teachers who will be determined by the Education Ministry, sources confirmed. Sources clarified there is no concrete plan regarding the stranded teachers with expired residency permits, but it is possible that they will be granted government entry visas or there will be a mechanism for them to renew their visas online. It has not been decided if the families of the stranded teachers will be granted entry or not, sources added. Sources revealed the number of teachers stranded abroad whose residency permits have expired reached more than 700, indicating that the ministry terminated 372 teachers who were replaced by Kuwaitis with the same specializations in line with the Kuwaitization policy.