Education Minister Approves New Structural Reforms to Streamline Administration and Merge Similar Functions

Minister of Education, Engineer Sayed Jalal Al-Tabatabai, issued a decision regarding the approval of amendments to the organizational structure of the Ministry of Education. The decision includes a package of administrative and organizational changes aimed at curbing administrative bloat, redistributing competencies and responsibilities, and merging several departments and organizational units with similar nature. These measures seek to achieve optimal utilization of human resources and enhance the efficiency of administrative and institutional performance.

The Ministry of Education clarified that the new amendments were based on a continuous review of the practical implementation results of the organizational structure, as well as a study of observations and proposals submitted by employees across various sectors and departments of the Ministry. This process enabled an assessment of actual work needs, identification of required development areas, and implementation of amendments that ensure greater flexibility in distributing competencies and defining responsibilities.

The Ministry emphasized that the decision mandates all concerned entities, each within its area of jurisdiction, to implement its provisions and act accordingly from the date of approval of the amended detailed competency cards. It also requires completing the placement of all employees in organizational units within the integrated civil service systems. The Ministry confirmed the cancellation of all previous decisions that conflict with the provisions of this decision, thereby ensuring the unification of organizational references and establishing the amended structure as the fundamental basis for organizing work and defining competencies and responsibilities within the Ministry.

The Ministry outlined that the new organizational structure amendment includes reducing the number of General Director positions from 14 to 10, a decrease of approximately 28.6 percent. Additionally, the number of Department Director positions was reduced from 72 to 63, and Administrative Inspector positions from 260 to 197. The number of Section Head positions also declined from 482 to 331.

Furthermore, the total number of positions in the organizational structure will decrease from 845 to 613, a difference of 232 positions, representing a reduction of approximately 27.5 percent. This reflects the Ministry’s trend toward building a leaner administrative structure based on rationalizing supervisory levels, distributing workloads and responsibilities more evenly, and enhancing the efficiency of organizational units.

The Ministry noted that the amendments are not limited to reducing numbers and supervisory positions but also include reorganizing competencies and merging similar units. This contributes to simplifying procedures, reducing administrative work cycles, accelerating decision-making, unifying competency references, and minimizing overlap and duplication between departments, all of which will positively impact the level of educational and administrative services provided.

Regarding the most significant amendments to the sector of the Assistant Undersecretary for General Education, the Ministry stated that the number of General Departments under this sector has been reduced to five: the General Department of General Education, the General Department of Private Education, the General Department of Measurement and Evaluation, the General Department of Supporting Educational Services, and the General Department of Guidance, Research, and Curricula. This aligns with a strategy aimed at unifying educational and supervisory competencies and enhancing integration among departments involved in the educational process.

The Ministry clarified that the new structure includes integrating Religious Education and Special Education under the umbrella of the General Department of General Education. This aims to unify administrative and organizational supervision, enhance coordination among different types of education, and return the monitoring of examinations and student affairs to the sector in educational districts, across their various sections and competencies. This strengthens the connection of these tasks to the educational field, facilitates the follow-up of student and examination matters, and unifies work procedures in educational districts.

The Ministry added that the amendments also included redistributing certain competencies related to supporting educational services. Specifically, supervision of activity guidance, library guidance, and educational technology guidance were transferred to the General Administration of Supporting Educational Services. This move aims to enhance the integration of services provided to schools, unify oversight of areas supporting the educational process, and improve coordination among entities implementing educational programs and activities.

Regarding the sector of the Assistant Undersecretary for Administrative, Financial, and Technical Affairs, the Ministry of Education stated that the amendments included reorganizing the sector and reducing the number of its general administrations to five: the General Administration of Facilities and Projects, the General Administration of Financial Affairs, Procurement, and Warehouses, the General Administration of Human Resources and Services, the General Administration of Development, Planning, and Quality, and the General Administration of Technology and Information Systems.

The Ministry clarified that the reorganization involved merging financial affairs, procurement, and warehousing into a single general administration, with the goal of unifying the financial and administrative system related to purchases, procurement, and inventory management. This aims to strengthen oversight and coordination among these competencies, thereby enhancing the efficiency of financial and material resource management and improving procedures for disbursement, procurement, and storage.

The amendments also consolidated human resources and services competencies within a single general administration, thereby enhancing integration in managing employee affairs and related services, unifying procedures, and developing mechanisms for monitoring job and service needs. Additionally, development, planning, and quality competencies were merged under one administrative umbrella, supporting the linkage between strategic planning, development initiatives, and performance quality measurement. This ensures that efforts are directed toward achieving institutional objectives according to clear priorities and measurable performance indicators.

The Ministry of Education noted that retaining the General Administration of Facilities and Projects and the General Administration of Technology and Information Systems within the new structure aligns with the institutional focus on developing educational infrastructure, monitoring projects and facilities, and continuing the digital transformation and updating of technical systems. These are considered fundamental pillars supporting the development of the educational and administrative system.

The Ministry emphasized that redistributing competencies among general administrations and various sectors aims to achieve greater clarity in supervisory and reporting lines, enhance responsiveness to work requirements, avoid task duplication, and enable administrations to fulfill their responsibilities according to specific and integrated competencies. This raises the level of institutional coordination and enhances performance effectiveness.

The Ministry of Education stressed that developing the organizational structure is part of the administrative reform path it follows. It is not limited to renaming positions or reducing supervisory roles, but aims to establish a more efficient and flexible administrative model that keeps pace with educational development requirements, increases productivity, and enhances the deployment of human capital in positions aligned with work needs.

The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to continuously reviewing organizational structures and evaluating their implementation efficiency, based on actual work requirements and performance indicators. This ensures the continued development of the administrative apparatus, optimal use of available resources, and enhanced capacity of the Ministry’s various sectors to execute their responsibilities, thereby serving the goals of educational development in the State of Kuwait.