The faculty members at the Kuwait University in the face of increasing demands to abolish the College of Public Health or include it in the College of Allied Medical Sciences feel this comes at a time when there is a need for more medical cadres and not to reduce or limit the sources of their graduation.
Over the past weeks, the move was met with the objection of many professors in various health faculties and their affiliates, who demanded a halt to measures aimed at “doing away with the college” or its inclusion in the “allied medical sciences,” calling it an ill-considered recommendation, reports a local Arabic daily.
The issue resurfaced, as the President of the University’s Faculty Members Association, Dr. Shamlan Al-Qana’i confirmed the faculty members’ refusal to abolish “Public Health” or to include it in other colleges.
The Faculty Association stated, it rejects such non-peaceful or logical decisions, as it departed from the general framework of the university’s policy and objectives, as the association considers them hasty decisions and deviates from the correct path and sound vision.
In its statement, the association stressed, “We strongly condemn the ignoring of the university administration, the acting deputy director of the Center for Medical Sciences and the charge d’affaires of the College of Public Health, by categorically refusing to meet with the official representative of the faculty members at the university, as well as their refusal to meet with representatives of the College of Public Health from the faculty to discuss The issue, which is not in line with the policy of the new government era represented by the open door policy, as stated in the instructions of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.”
The statement added: “The association stresses, in terms of its trade union and professional role, that such practices and policies would disrupt the academic and administrative work process at Kuwait University, and prevent the completion of real investment in relations. Rather, it seeks to destroy the values and ethics of dealing and communication between the university administration and its affiliates and the Association faculty of school”.
In its statement, the association appealed to “the government, to quickly intervene and look into the practices of the university administration and the deputy of medical sciences, which have reached the most extreme, and calls for freezing or even canceling any moves towards this ill-considered decision immediately, and to stay away from personal whims that are of no use except to impede the course of university work, which we seek.”
The Faculty Association called for “the need to work on passing any proposals to the well-known legitimate channels, which are the department councils and college councils from within them.”
7 implications for the statement of the members of the “faculty”
— Denunciation of the university administration’s ignoring the meeting with the representative of the faculty members to discuss the matter
— Denouncing practices that disrupt the academic and administrative work process at the university
— Freezing and canceling any moves to implement the ill-considered decision to cancel the college
— Staying away from personal whims that impede the progress of university work
— Verifying improper practices of the acting Dean of “Pharmacy” and “Public Health”
— Refusal to appoint department heads from outside the college or any procedures that confuse it from within
— Passing proposals to department and college councils to improve the higher education system