Kuwait to float tender to install electronic fingerprinting system in public schools

KUWAIT CITY - The Ministry of Education is in the process of fl oating a tender to install electronic fingerprint system for employees in public schools covering the administrative and supervisory personnel, reports Al-Jarida daily quoting education sources. The sources said the tender process is in the final stages.

The sources told the daily the ministry has allocated KD 1.1 million to install three fingerprint devices in each government school. The sources pointed out, the ministry is obliged to implement the decisions of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) related to the mechanism of attendance proof since the system is applied in all government institutions.

The sources said the fingerprint system covering the school staff is expected to be applied at the beginning of the 2019/2020 academic year. However, the senior officials in the Ministry of Education still hope to convince the CSC offi- cials about the special nature of the work of teachers and marking their entry and exit.

The sources pointed out, the ministry is working hard to reach a solution that includes proof of attendance of teachers with fingerprint in the morning only. This procedure should be abolished at the end of the working hours, in order to contribute to giving them freedom of movement, especially with regard to attending training courses, development and other matters of interest in the field of educational.

Meanwhile, some schools in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational District are facing a crisis related to the distribution of classes handled by Arabic Language teachers as some of them have six in a week, while others have more – up to 18 among expatriate teachers, reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources from the educational sector.

Sources disclosed there is no standard in the distribution which does not take seniority into consideration. They stressed need to re-distribute the classes to ensure equality and justice in all educational districts.