PAAET commences accreditation process with US-based Council
Initiative aligns with the goals of 'New Kuwait 2035' vision
KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) has commenced academic accreditation procedures in partnership with the US-based Council on Occupational Education (COE), as part of its overarching strategy to enhance the quality of educational outputs and equip national cadres to meet evolving labor market demands.
Director General of PAAET, Dr Hassan Al-Fajjam, said in a press statement on Monday that the move comes in line with the directives of Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr Nader Al-Jalal, who has called for elevating the standard of vocational education and achieving academic accreditation across all disciplines offered by PAAET's colleges and institutes, in alignment with international benchmarks and national development goals.
Dr Al-Fajjam noted that the COE is one of the leading international bodies specializing in accreditation within the field of vocational education and training. The council is known for its rigorous standards, aimed at ensuring institutional quality and the effectiveness of educational programs.
He revealed that several of PAAET's training institutes have already secured academic accreditation, describing this as a national milestone that underscores the Authority's commitment to excellence and its position as a regional leader in applied education. The initiative, he said, aligns with the goals of the 'New Kuwait 2035' vision, particularly in preparing a skilled professional workforce capable of adapting to rapid developments in the labor sector.
The Director General emphasized that accreditation from a reputable body such as COE reinforces the confidence of employers and stakeholders in the quality of PAAET's graduates, thereby enhancing their employment prospects and competitiveness in the job market. Dr Al-Fajjam extended his appreciation to Minister Al-Jalal for his ongoing support, affirming that this achievement reflects the fruitful collaboration between the Ministry and PAAET as part of a comprehensive reform agenda to revamp the path of applied education and training in the country. - KUNA
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
3 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Kuwait explores use of Bayraktar TB2 drones for environmental monitoring
Newly-acquired drones to support surveillance of borders, critical infrastructure KUWAIT: Kuwait is moving to integrate its newly acquired Bayraktar TB2 drones into environmental surveillance and civilian operations, according to a statement by the General Staff of the Army following a high-level coordination meeting held Sunday. The meeting, chaired by Deputy Chief of the General Staff Lt Gen Sabah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, gathered senior military officials and representatives from the Ministry of Public Works, Kuwait Municipality, and the Environment Public Authority, alongside other civil and security agencies. Discussions focused on how to organize reconnaissance flights and enhance the use of drone-generated data across state institutions, 'in support of observation and follow-up efforts' and to 'enhance the state's capabilities in addressing security and environmental changes,' the statement said. The meeting also reviewed the technical systems onboard the Bayraktar drone and explored its applications in defense, environmental monitoring, and the protection of vital infrastructure and borders. Lt Gen Al-Sabah emphasized the importance of using the drone beyond military settings. 'The utilization of the Bayraktar drone's capabilities is not limited to the military side only but extends to include many civilian sectors of the state,' he said. He called for greater coordination between military and civilian entities to maximize the benefits of this advanced aerial system. He described the drone as 'a qualitative leap in capabilities for monitoring, environmental surveillance, and the protection of facilities and borders,' and underscored the responsibility to invest and deploy the system effectively. The Bayraktar TB2 is capable of flying non-stop for 24 hours, carrying up to 650 kilograms. In 2019, it completed a test flight in Kuwait that lasted 27 hours and 3 minutes, despite high temperatures, strong winds, and sandstorms. The coordination meeting follows the arrival of Kuwait's first Bayraktar drones earlier this month, after a $367 million purchase agreement was signed with Turkish defense company Baykar in January 2023. Kuwait became the 28th country to acquire the TB2, a drone that has been used in conflict zones including Ukraine, Libya, and Azerbaijan. Kuwait has also been training personnel for drone operations, with the first batch of TB2 operators graduating in Turkey in July 2024, and a second group earlier this year. While Kuwait's discussions mark an early step in integrating drones into environmental oversight, drones have increasingly been used for that purpose in recent years. In Pakistan's Punjab province, officials launched a drone-linked environmental monitoring system in September 2024 to track factory emissions and enforce environmental laws. In the Arctic, high-speed drones were tested earlier this year to assess the rate of glacier retreat in Greenland. Research also points to the use of drones at landfills to detect methane emissions with high spatial and temporal precision, offering a low-cost alternative to traditional monitoring methods. — Agencies
Kuwait Times
5 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
UN tech chief seeks ‘global approach' on AI regulation
GENEVA: The world urgently needs to find a global approach on regulating artificial intelligence, the United Nations' top tech chief said this week, warning that fragmentation could deepen risks and inequalities. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) agency, told AFP she hoped that AI 'can actually benefit humanity'. But as concerns mount over the risks posed by the fast-moving technology — including fears of mass job losses, the spread of deepfakes and disinformation, and society's fabric fraying — she insisted that regulation was key. 'There's an urgency to try to get... the right framework in place,' she said, stressing the need for 'a global approach'. Her comments came after US President Donald Trump this week unveiled an aggressive, low-regulation strategy aimed at ensuring the United States stays ahead of China on AI. Among more than 90 proposals, Trump's plan calls for sweeping deregulation, with the administration promising to 'remove red tape and onerous regulation' that could hinder private sector AI development. Asked if she had concerns about an approach that urges less, not more, regulation of AI technologies, Bogdan-Martin refrained from commenting, saying she was 'still trying to digest' the US plan. 'I think there are different approaches,' she said. 'We have the EU approach. We have the Chinese approach. Now we're seeing the US approach. I think what's needed is for those approaches to dialogue,' she said. At the same time, she highlighted that '85 percent of countries don't yet have AI policies or strategies'. A consistent theme among those strategies that do exist is the focus on innovation, capacity building and infrastructure investments, Bogdan-Martin said. 'But where I think the debate still needs to happen at a global level is trying to figure out how much regulation, how little regulation, is needed,' she said. Bogdan-Martin, who grew up in New Jersey and has spent most of her more than three-decade career at the ITU, insisted the Geneva-based telecoms agency that sets standards for new technologies was well-placed to help facilitate much-needed dialogue on the issue. 'The need for a global approach I think is critical,' she said, cautioning that 'fragmented approaches will not help serve and reach all'. As countries and companies sprint to cement their dominance in the booming sector, there are concerns that precautions could be thrown to the wind—and that those who lose the race or do not have the capacity to participate will be left behind. The ITU chief hailed 'mind-blowing' advances within artificial intelligence, with the potential to improve everything from education to agriculture to health care—but insisted the benefits must be shared. Without a concerted effort, there is a risk that AI will end up standing for 'advancing inequalities', she warned, cautioning against deepening an already dire digital divide worldwide. 'We have 2.6 billion people that have no access to the internet, which means they have no access to artificial intelligence', Bogdan-Martin pointed out. 'We have to tackle those divides if we're actually going to have something that is beneficial to all of humanity.' Bogdan-Martin, the first woman to serve as ITU secretary-general in the organization's nearly 160-year history, also stressed the need to get more women into the digital space. 'We have a huge gap,' she said. 'We definitely don't have enough women... in artificial intelligence.' The 58-year-old mother of four said it was 'a big honor' to be the first woman in her position, to be 'breaking the glass ceiling (and) paving the path for future generations'. But she acknowledged there was a lot of pressure, 'not just to achieve, but to almost overachieve'. Bogdan-Martin, who is being backed by the Trump administration to stand for re-election when her four-year mandate ends next year, said she was eager to stay on for a second term. 'There is a lot to do.' – AFP
Kuwait Times
6 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Meta to ban political ads in EU due to bloc's ‘unworkable' rules
BRUSSELS: Meta on Friday said it will be forced to ban political advertising on its platforms in the European Union from October because of rules the Facebook and Instagram owner called 'unworkable'. The EU has a bolstered legal armory to rein in Big Tech, against which Meta has hit out - with the support of US President Donald Trump's administration. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been highly critical of European rules, accusing Brussels in January of 'censorship' while this week the US State Department denounced the EU's 'Orwellian' regulation of social media. Against this uneasy backdrop, and with EU-US trade tensions sky-high, Meta announced that political, electoral and social issue advertising will no longer be allowed from October in the bloc because of 'unworkable requirements' under new rules. 'This is a difficult decision - one we've taken in response to the EU's incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation,' it said. 'Unfortunately, the TTPA introduces significant, additional obligations to our processes and systems that create an untenable level of complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU,' Meta added. The tech giant stressed that its European users would still be able to post and debate about politics. The EU says its political advertising rules seek to increase transparency in online advertising after Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal, which came to light in 2018. Cambridge Analytica was a consulting firm that was found to have improperly accessed personal data from millions of Facebook users for targeted political advertising, particularly during the 2016 US election and Brexit referendum. The change is set to impact Meta's flagship platforms Facebook and Instagram, as well as WhatsApp - which is largely ad-free but announced in June it would be introducing new advertising features in some parts of the app. Meta said it was 'not the only company to have been forced into this position'. Google last year announced it would also prevent political advertising in the EU from October 2025 because of the 'significant new operational challenges and legal uncertainties'. Meta and Brussels have locked horns on a series of issues - most recently over the firm's 'pay or consent' system regarding user data. The EU slapped a 200-million-euro ($235-million) fine in April after concluding Meta violated rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram. Zuckerberg has previously equated EU fines against the company to tariffs. Facebook and Instagram also face investigations under the EU's mammoth content moderation law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA). Meta's announcement comes as US officials ramp up their attacks on the DSA. The State Department took aim at the DSA on Tuesday as it accused European countries of convicting thousands of people 'for the crime of criticizing their own governments,' without elaborating on the allegation. And the judiciary committee of the US House of Representatives on Friday described the EU law as a 'foreign censorship threat' that forces 'platforms to change content moderation policies that apply in the United States'. 'On paper, the DSA is bad. In practice, it is even worse,' the Republican-majority committee said in an interim report. Staunch Trump ally Jim Jordan, committee chair, will meet the EU's digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, in Brussels on Monday. Jordan will be joined by other US Congress members in a bipartisan delegation, EU digital spokesman Thomas Regnier said. The European Commission rejected the censorship claims. 'Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in the EU. And it is at the heart of our legislation, including the DSA,' Regnier said.- AFP
