You are your own enemy, may I dare pen?

You are your own enemy is neither sarcastic, pique nor a taunt or an attack from any set of imagination whatsoever, rather on the contra, this is nothing but a fact which I as a true and loyal resident of Kuwait since 1978 must state for the benefit of Kuwaitis and Kuwaitis alone whom I immensely like otherwise at least I had not stayed here for long 34 years.

A few months back Kuwait has doubled the monthly money it gives to post school students to study either for getting a diploma and or a degree offered by Public Authority for Applied Education and Training and or by Kuwait University respectively. PAAET has many institutes both for boys and girls offering diplomas in different specializations whereas various colleges attached to it offer bachelor degree courses as well. Kuwait University offers degree courses in many different fields both academic and professional for the two genders. Both educational institutions being from government offer completely free education of whatever discipline one likes to pursue and the text and references books for all the courses either at PAAET or KU are sold to the students at much subsidized rates in any case. This means that Kuwaiti students just pay very nominal money and that too one time on books otherwise they study completely free for the whole period of their studies which could be two years minimum and much more depending upon the subjects they wish to study. Their campuses are huge; buildings are spectacular; class rooms are very comfortably furnished and equipped with latest teaching gadgets one can think of whereas their teaching faculties’ members are highly qualified in their own spectrum and specializations. I am not at all hesitant to pronounce that PAAET and KU do not lack in any respect and they provide most congenial and conducive atmosphere for their students to equip themselves academically. 

Earlier any Kuwaiti boy or girl who passes out from Higher Secondary School and studies at either PAAET or KU was paid KD 100/ pm as an incentive to study but the same amount has been doubled about a few months back. Since long Kuwaiti students through their unions have been demanding increase in their monthly stipend but it had been delayed for one reason or the other. The bill was moved in Kuwait Parliament to debate to different options namely should KD 100/pm be increased to KD 200/pm or it should be more or less than KD 200/ and eventually majority of legislative members agreed to the figure of KD 200/ so it was approved by bulk majority of the members except just a few opposed but their opposition was very much negligible so it was passed and forwarded to Amir for ratification whereby each student is to be paid KD 200/pm from the start of the present academic semester commencing from September. The whole students’ community of both boys and girls running into thousands, upon hearing the news, that Amir has signed the increase danced in jubilation, hugged and kissed each other on their compasses on turning still richer. I am also told that some classes were suspended since the students preferred to sing and dance near their class rooms rather than entering the class rooms to study though honestly speaking to me they should have asked for extra teaching hours rather than absenting their classes. Needless to mention, the students are paid the money for whole 12 months though they do not study for more than 7 months each year in any case. They if fail are not asked by the government to return the money which had been paid to them in advance anticipating that they will pass and not fail. Isn’t it reasonable to keep the students on guard while they receive the monthly money for studying? The student will get again the same money for studying the same course in next semester proving that they money is paid without any compulsion and or pre condition whatsoever. 

Inner parental instinct is very much common in all the parents with no reference whatsoever to their respective education, profession, title, clan, color, caste, creed, religion, nationality, economic conditions and topographical locations etc and therefore parents ABC living in east love their children as much as parents XYZ residing in west love their children and the same applies to those who live in south and north. Let us talk about a very hypothetical situation where I am comparing the two extreme cases just to crystallize as to what parental love is. As father, a king of the biggest country on the face of earth will love his daughter or son with the same warmth and intensity as that of his own peon or body guard for that matter and this example can be applied in all the cases howsoever diversified they may be from one another and the result so obtained will be very much similar in percentage so far as their parental love towards their children in concerned.  The poorest father loves his children in the same manner as that the richest father loves his children because father remains father whether he is king or peon, the richest or the poorest. Parental love is not measured by authority and or money in any case. Each parents pay to their children whatever they can while they study and the money so paid to the students is dependent upon the circumstances of the parents so from that point of view Kuwaiti parents leading in per capita income will pay quite handsome money to their children hence they did not need any money from Kuwaiti government in any case.

I, in support of my caption, will now punctuate my pen with statistical figures to compare Kuwait with other countries but only on two counts namely their standard of education and per capita income and you will be astonished and bewildered alike to know that the 4 countries which lead in standard of education are much poorer so far their par capita is concerned if compared with Kuwait. Moreover, if just monetary affluence had been responsible to raise educational standard than Qatar’s flag had been fluttering atop and Qataris have ousted the rest including the citizens of Super Powers simply because they lead the world in per capita income with a figure of $88,222/. None but Qataris had captured all the seats at institutions like Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge for that matter but ground reality is much too different because it not the money but the brain which counts if to be found at above mentioned seats of learning. Interestingly the 4 countries shown at the top of the ladder in connection with standard of education it is found out that last year also the same 4 countries had at the same ranking meaning by that they maintained their standard so rigorously that they did not slip backward even 1 step what to talk of more. The countries are Australia with per capita of $ 39,764; Finland with per capita of $ 34,918; Denmark with per capita income of $ 36,443 and New Zealand with per capita income of $ 27,130. Kuwait ranks at serial 90 so far as its education standard is concerned though it boasts of per capita income of $ 38,775 so moneywise Kuwait is a bit behind than Australia but when it comes to standard of education, the difference is like earth and sky. Australia is at number 1 whereas Kuwait is listed at serial 90. More surprisingly it has slipped backward one step than what had been its standard of education a year before.

The more I think, the more perplexed I am at least simply because being here since 1978 I owe to the country at least morally and of course not officially. It really pained me to note that academically Kuwait instead of marching forward has slipped back one step than earlier. Perhaps no Kuwaiti noticed such decline otherwise at least one, if not more, must have taken cognizance of the plight and had done something to at least not to step backward but alas it is too late as the damage has already been done and cannot be undone. Shouldn’t I ask too bluntly a few very sharp and ripe questions, if not annoying? Who initiated the scheme to give money to students to study after completing schooling? What was the standard of education when students were not paid anything, if at all there was any such time? Which year did it start paying KD 100/ pm? How did the figure of KD 100/pm was arrived leaving out the possibility of paying KD 25, or KD 50 or even KD 75? How much did Kuwait improve upon so far as its standard of education is concerned since it started paying KD 100/ pm? Now government has not only increased the money for the students rather it has doubled it so anyone who was getting KD 100/pm is presently getting KD 200/pm instead.

I wish I am wrong, which I am not, and it is very much doubtful that Kuwait standard of education will improve in the same proportion as the money has been increased. Kuwait has lot of money and of course whether one likes it or not, its money is exclusively for Kuwaitis and Kuwaitis only who are quite but naturally entitled to it. However the fact is that from one point of view KD 200/pm is far too negligible amount and it could have paid even minimum KD 2000/pm if not KD 20,000/pm but I am not disputing about the figure to be paid or being paid but the result because the simple common prudence demands that input must equate output which regretfully is utterly missing in this particular case. Numerically speaking, Kuwait had ranked at serial 90 at international level of education at the time when Kuwaiti students were paid KD 100/pm and now when the amount is doubled to KD 200/pm, its international level of education standard must also jump up and score at serial 45 to keep equilibrium between the money paid and the results obtained there from. No denying the hard fact that to rise from ranking of 90 to ranking of 45 is very much within the reach of Kuwaiti students provided they are judiciously and properly motivated and ignited accordingly to strive hard for it.

Summing up it is not the money, I repeat it is not the money, but the will which in turn will increase the education level of the students and therefore call of the time is to put in collective efforts to raise standard of education in Kuwait. It is the right opportune to pen that all those students who outclassed others at global level in different countries during their study times were not paid even KD 100/pm what to talk of KD 200/ pm by their respective governments proves in quite crystal terms without slightest shadow of doubt that it is not the money but the will which matters to earn laurels. Many Kuwaiti students too have excelled both in past when they were not paid KD 200/ pm very well supports my point of view. Parents head the campaign to tell their children to put their heart into studies not just to earn monthly stipend of KD 200/ but to prove that they are brainy and will earn laurels not only for themselves but their parents as well. Parents must pat their children when they get “A” star and at the same time they must thrash them if they get “F” in the other extreme case. Teachers play very dominant role in shaping the students and truly speaking they are primarily assigned to brighten the mental faculties of their students. Libraries all over the world have countless books proving that teachers and teachers alone have polished their students to the extent that they have created world records in all the fields and disciplines one can think of and relying on the same analogy I can say on my honor that it will happen in Kuwait as well. Kuwait flag will flutter atop in standard of education too I very sincerely wish and pray.

What will happen if students are not paid even KD 1/pm and yet they are asked to study after completing schooling is not only quite a hypothetical question but very important too? Will sky split apart or oceans will dry out if Kuwaiti students are not paid any money but obliged to study at PAAET and or KU as the case may be?  I am too naïve to answer these questions but you being Kuwaiti can definitely answer it in the most befitting, logical and judicious manner.

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