The State of Kuwait is one of the richest countries in the Arabian Gulf region, enclosed by Saudi Arabia in the south and Iraq in the north. Kuwait sits on an estimated eight per cent of the world's oil reserves, a high percentage of which are easily extracted.
Kuwait is an important trading partner of the UK, with visible exports reaching GBP 457 million in 2007 (4.6 per cent of Kuwait’s imports come from the UK). Export of UK services is in the region of GBP 1 billion and includes the energy sector, consultancy, financial services, banking, insurance and aviation.
Kuwait's current population is estimated at roughly three to 3.5 million people; counting both locals and foreigners. Roughly one million (or nearly one-third) of Kuwait's population is local, with two to 2.5 million residents registered as foreigners / non-locals. A burgeoning young population is struggling to find employment. The Government is looking at wider economic reform, including moving some of the 95 per cent of Kuwaitis who work in the state sector to the private sector.
Kuwait has only one state university: Kuwait University. The Kuwaiti Government provides several scholarship schemes for its nationals, either through Kuwait University, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, the Civil Service Commission or the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. Hence, although it is a small country, a big proportion of its students travel abroad for their higher studies, firstly because they can afford to do so and secondly in order to benefit from the higher status and prestige of overseas qualifications. Furthermore, there is a feeling that although many students were sent to other countries, such as Australia and Canada, the outcome was found to be unsatisfactory and there is a feeling among the decision-makers 'to go back to their roots', which means studying in the UK. There are about 1,340 Kuwaiti students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the UK (academic year 2007 / 2008).
The undergraduate education market can be segmented as Kuwaiti children in years 11 and 12, either at public (Government) schools, who will be taking Thanawiya Ama (the standard higher secondary school certificate), or those at private or international schools, who will be taking GCSE / IGCSE and A-levels. These students will have access to scholarships from the Ministry of Higher Education, which offers approximately 1,500 grants each year. In addition, there are also non-Kuwaiti children in years 11 and 12 at international schools. These include children from the UK, Europe, the US, Canada, India, Pakistan and Arabian countries, especially Egypt.
Despite seven new operational private universities in Kuwait joining Kuwait University as providers of higher education, the UK remains a popular choice for students seeking higher education outside of Kuwait. The private universities include the Gulf Institute of Science and Technology (GUST), the American University of Kuwait (AUK), the Arab Open University (AOU), the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK), the American University of the Middle East (AUM), Box Hill College Kuwait (higher education for women only) and the Kuwait Maastricht Business School. In addition, a new university will open in 2010 which is the British University of Kuwait. We believe that the market segment seeking higher education in the UK will not be affected significantly by the growth of the private universities. More and more students, Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti, are enquiring about overseas opportunities. Additionally, the number of students applying and going to the UK for higher education is increasing on a yearly basis. In the year 2007, the number of visas to the UK issued to Kuwaitis was 46,515 – this number ranked Kuwait in the top ten of visa issuing posts for that year.
Some factors affecting this increase are seen as: the stricter US regulations since 11 September 2001; the quality of UK education being respected and deemed prestigious; the UK being geographically closer to the Middle East than North America; and the continued 'Kuwaitisation' plan of replacing the expatriate workforce with nationals, which translates into an increasing need for educated Kuwaitis.
Postgraduate students in Kuwait are attracted to the UK due to the shorter course-length and closer proximity than the US. With a very limited number of postgraduate courses being offered by Kuwait University, the UK offers significant potential. Increased interest in the new route PhD has been observed from both the Public Authority of Applied Education and Training (PAAET) and Kuwait University, following active local marketing of these programmes by British Council Kuwait.
The market for EFL courses delivered in Kuwait is mature and competitive. Roughly half of the ELT private sector market is represented by the British Council, The British Institute for Training and Education (BITE) and English Language Studies (ELS). The other half is made up of a large number of smaller language institutes of varying quality. There are also Government-subsidised English language 'clubs' hosted by established state educational institutes in the evenings. EFL courses and institutes are regulated by the Ministry of Education, who monitor fee levels, advertising and syllabus content.
Access and foundation courses are currently more likely to attract Kuwaiti students to the UK than other FE courses. The undergraduate sector is the largest in terms of current and potential future demand, and most students will need a foundation course prior to UK university entry. The British Council has focused over the past two years on promoting foundation courses in Kuwait and this is now paying off, with significantly raised awareness for this product as a route to a UK qualification.
Colleges will also find demand for EFL courses (either as part of a foundation course or stand alone) and other pre-university courses, such as A-levels. There is interest among the following groups for A-levels or a foundation year in order to be able to study in the UK (evidence gained through British Council visits to schools and universities):
- Kuwaiti and expatriate graduates from international schools offering the American system
- Arab students attending Indian or Pakistani schools.
Local FE courses are directed by the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), which is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Higher Education. With their introduction of NVQ courses, future links with UK institutions look set to increase. The awareness of foundation programmes continues to grow and they are increasingly being viewed as the most accessible route to UK undergraduate programmes for non-British curriculum students.
We ceased offering our English Language Placement Service (ELPS) in July 2008 as part of our global strategy. Potential students are now required to contact local education agents for this service. We are working closely with agents in Kuwait to ensure that they have sufficient expertise in this area. Currently, there are four local agents for educational placements which are licensed by the Kuwait Government. The British Council does not accredit or officially recognise any agents and does not assess the quality of the service that they provide. However, we do work with these agents to improve the quality of their work. We are currently assisting agents, as well as the appropriate Ministry authorities and other national Kuwaiti educational institutions, with the British Council on-line training course about UK education. Individuals who complete this course successfully are awarded a certificate as an individual, not as an organisation (i.e. the certificate does not amount to accreditation by the British Council of the agency for which they work). Furthermore, the certificate has a fixed validity period of three years.
In addition to our Education UK promotion work in Kuwait, we are engaged in projects in higher education, schools education, vocational education, English, arts, science and social partnerships (women’s self-development and leadership). Our higher education work across the Middle East region, including Kuwait, has two strands:
- quality assurance and management, which aims to strengthen the academic relationships between the UK and priority countries in the Middle East in the areas of quality assurance, management and enhancement
- building research capacity, which aims to identify UK-MED (Middle East Directorate) opportunities for research co-operation, alliances, partnerships and potential collaborative models ahead of the launch of a regional research capacity building project in 2009.
We also run a very successful teaching centre and examinations business in Kuwait. Our teaching centre is the most trusted provider of quality part-time English language courses for both adults and children in Kuwait. It caters to both individuals and corporate clients, delivering over 9,000 hours of training a year.
We offer a high quality examinations service to customers, ranging from school children, to students aspiring to study in the UK, to young professionals seeking further progression in their careers. We deliver over 11,000 examinations per year. We have a rapidly increasing IELTS business for the many people who wish to study or seek employment overseas.
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