Ministry of Education Cuts Organizational Posts by 27.5%, Merges Similar Functions

- Al-Tabtabaee approves reduction of positions from 845 to 613 and general managers from 14 to 10

- Integration of religious education and special education under the umbrella of "General Education," along with reorganization of the educational and administrative sectors

Minister of Education, Engineer Sayed Jalal Al-Tabtabaee, issued a decision approving new amendments to the Ministry’s organizational structure. These amendments include reducing the number of positions from 845 to 613, a decrease of approximately 27.5 percent, as part of efforts to streamline the administrative apparatus, enhance institutional performance efficiency, redistribute competencies and responsibilities, and merge similar administrative departments and organizational units.

The Ministry of Education clarified that the amendments were based on a 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. The goal is to identify actual work needs, develop mechanisms for distributing competencies and responsibilities, achieve optimal use of human resources, and enhance the flexibility of administrative operations.

The Ministry stated that the revised structure includes reducing the number of general manager positions from 14 to 10, a decrease of nearly 28.6 percent; reducing department director positions from 72 to 63; reducing administrative supervisors from 260 to 197; and reducing section heads from 482 to 331.

It added that the total number of positions in the organizational structure will decrease by 232 positions, a step aimed at rationalizing supervisory levels, redistributing workloads and responsibilities more evenly, and enhancing the efficiency of organizational units.

The Ministry emphasized that the amendments are not limited to reducing supervisory positions but also include reorganizing competencies and merging similar units. This contributes to simplifying procedures, accelerating decision-making, unifying organizational references, reducing overlap and duplication among departments, and improving the quality of educational and administrative services.

Regarding the sector of the Assistant Undersecretary for General Education, the Ministry clarified that the amendments included reducing the number of general departments under its purview 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.

It noted that the new structure integrates religious education and special education under the umbrella of the General Department of General Education, aiming to unify administrative and organizational supervision and enhance coordination among different types of education.

The amendments also included returning the supervision of examinations and student affairs to the sector in educational districts, across all their sections and competencies. This enhances the connection of these tasks to the educational field, facilitates the follow-up of student and examination matters, and unifies work procedures.

The Ministry added that supervision of activity guidance, libraries, and educational technologies was transferred to the General Department of Supporting Educational Services, aiming to unify supervision over areas supporting the educational process and enhance integration among services provided to schools.

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

The ministry clarified that the restructuring included merging financial affairs, supplies, and warehouses into a single general directorate, with the aim of unifying the financial and administrative system related to procurement and inventory management, enhancing oversight and coordination, and improving the efficiency of managing financial and material resources.

The amendments also involved consolidating human resources and services under a single administrative umbrella, thereby strengthening integration in the management of employee affairs and related services. In addition, development, planning, and quality functions were merged into one general directorate, aiming to link strategic planning with development initiatives and measure performance quality according to clear priorities and monitorable, evaluable indicators.

The ministry noted the retention of the General Directorate of Facilities and Projects and the General Directorate of Technology and Information Systems, as part of efforts to enhance focus on developing educational infrastructure, monitoring projects and facilities, and continuing digital transformation and updating technical systems.

It emphasized that the redistribution of responsibilities among general directorates and various sectors aims to clarify supervisory lines and reporting chains, enhance responsiveness to operational requirements, prevent duplication of tasks, and enable directorates to perform their duties within clearly defined and integrated mandates.

Regarding the implementation of the decision, the ministry explained that all concerned entities are tasked, within their respective jurisdictions, with implementing its provisions and acting accordingly from the date of approval of the revised detailed responsibility charts. All employees in the organizational units must be registered in the integrated civil service systems, and any previous decisions conflicting with its provisions are hereby repealed.

The ministry stressed that the development of the organizational structure is part of the administrative reform path it follows, and is not limited to renaming positions or reducing supervisory roles. Rather, it aims to build a more efficient and flexible administrative model that keeps pace with the requirements of educational development, boosts productivity, and enhances the utilization of human capital.

It reaffirmed the ongoing review of organizational structures and evaluation of their implementation efficiency based on actual operational requirements and performance indicators, ensuring optimal use of available resources and strengthening the ministry’s sectors’ capacity to fulfill their responsibilities and achieve the goals of educational development in Kuwait.