Kuwait parliament fails to hold extraordinary session
Kuwait’s parliament on Thursday failed to reach the quorum needed to hold a much-anticipated session to discuss the situation of hundreds of students who could not be enrolled at the University of Kuwait.
On Sunday, the Emir called for an extraordinary parliament session to discuss a motion for additional funding for ministries and state bodies for 2011-2012, as well as a report of the legislative affairs committee on Jaber Applied Sciences Academy, a motion on setting up a fund to support students pursuing higher studies on their own expense and a bill on regulations regarding scholarships, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.
However, only 31 lawmakers and four ministers showed up at the special session scheduled during the summer recess and Jassem Al Khorafi, the parliament speaker, initially adjourned the debate for 30 minutes before dismissing the session.
Opposition MPs promptly charged that the government was not keen on the extraordinary session and ensured that it would not be held. The lawmakers said that hundreds of students would not be able to start higher education this semester after they were told they could not be enrolled at the university reportedly for lack of facilities.
However, Abdullah Al Hajiri, Assistant Dean for Students Affairs, said that the university should not be involved in political disputes between the government and lawmakers. “The student admission crisis must be tackled within the context of the university, as it is better aware of its conditions and needs,” he said, quoted by Al Watan. “Forcing the acceptance of all the students whose applications were delayed will have negative consequences on the quality of their educational process and, ultimately, will hinder their graduation,” he said.
The solution lies in supporting the private sector to build new universities and additional campuses, as well as opening branches of other prestigious Arab and international universities in Kuwait, Al Hajiri said.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-parliament-fails-to-hold-extraordinary-session-1.853295
