KUWAIT CITY, May 31: The acting Assistant Undersecretary for Financial and Administrative Affairs and Cooperative Affairs, and Director of the General Department of Planning and Administrative Development at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Dr. Sayed Issa, says the ministry is moving forward with implementing new regulatory and oversight procedures at the level of cooperative societies. The plan includes launching a comprehensive audit campaign of the academic qualifications of all employees in cooperative societies, both citizens and residents, in line with Cabinet directives on this matter.

In a press statement, Issa explained that the ministry has issued a circular to the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies (UCCS), instructing it to address the boards of directors of all cooperative societies to begin obtaining approvals from the Ministry of Higher Education for the academic certificates of Kuwaiti and expatriate employees working in cooperative societies, within a period not exceeding three months.

The first phase of the audit process will cover higher academic qualifications, followed by a second phase to review lower qualifications. He affirmed that this step is part of an approach the ministry is working on to restructure the work environment within cooperative societies and ensure that academic qualifications align with job requirements and actual tasks, thereby enhancing performance efficiency and strengthening the principles of corporate governance. Issa indicated that, following the completion of standardizing organizational structures, job descriptions, and salary scales across all cooperative societies, the ministry is moving towards developing automated employee assessments similar to those currently used for filling supervisory positions. These assessments aim to evaluate employee competence, suitability, and continued relevance to their current roles. He emphasized that employees who fail these assessments will be terminated for lack of qualifications.