Kuwait has long been keen on supporting education in Arabian Gulf countries and many Arab nations, since the era of late Kuwaiti Amir HH Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, a historian said Tuesday.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Hajri, Secretary General of Kuwait society of history, said Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem's landmark visit to Sharjah in 1952 marked the beginning of Kuwait's contribution to development of real education in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE). Kuwait, he added, agreed to send teachers in 1953 and the start was in Sharjah, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
Al-Hajri was speaking in a lecture about Kuwait's role in supporting education in the Arabian Gulf region - UAE example. The lecture was organized by the National Council for Culture, Art and Letters (NCCAL).
Kuwait sent stationery items, books and illustration means before arrival of the teachers to the UAE, he said, in order to guarantee smooth and sustainable teaching.
Kuwait, he added, also provided uniforms and daily meals just like schools in Kuwait. Kuwait education mission arrived in Dubai in 1956 and supervised education in the emirate. An office affiliated to Kuwait's foreign ministry was set up on Dubai in 1963, known as the Gulf Administration Office. This office had full authorities supervise the educational process.
Al-Hajri said despite similar political, economic and social conditions in the Arabian Gulf countries, the education policies varied. Education in the past lacked specific regulations and certified curricula
because of narrow economy and lack of services, he noted.
Al-Hajri said males were getting the education rather than females because of the social and economic circumstances in the UAE, KUNA reported.