Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development Dr. Khaled Mahdi highlighted several gaps in human capital during a national symposium organized by the American International University, Al Rai newspaper reported. He discussed the skills gap in the labor market and the widening learning gap, which has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The average gap is currently close to six years, with the level of a graduate at the twelfth grade equivalent to that of a seventh-grade student.
To address these gaps, Mahdi proposed the implementation of an education development strategy, which includes governance in the educational sector, curriculum development, teacher licensing, and international standards. He emphasized the importance of following up on the implementation of the strategy to assess progress. He also spoke about Kuwait’s spending on education, which is equivalent to that of Finland but has a lower return on investment. He stressed the need to bridge gaps and overcome challenges such as educational loss and educational poverty.
Moreover, the official discussed the vision of “Kuwait 2035,” which aims to achieve sustainable prosperity through consensus, capacity building, an enabling legislative environment, and collective thought. According to him, the challenges faced by Kuwait include the need for more citizens to work in the private sector and the empowerment of women in leadership positions.
Further, Mahdi highlighted the wealth that Kuwait possesses, including social, institutional, natural, and geographical capital. He discussed Kuwait’s past as a commercial center with a large private sector and a small government, which changed after the discovery of oil and the establishment of Kuwait’s first sovereign fund. He discussed Kuwait’s development plan, which includes building three economic zones and two residential cities, as well as commercial areas.
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