BUILDING KNOWLEDGE
Sabah Al Salem University City is a gigantic project, but look beyond the physical magnitude and you see an idea symbolic of what is to come for Kuwait's higher education sector.
At the beginning of the new century, Kuwait faced a multifaceted issue in education due to a surging young population, thanks to high birth rates and immigration, and a lack of higher education opportunities. As always in Kuwait, the solution had to be grandiose. And so, in 2005, planning for a new university campus started. It was a daunting task, requiring 14 years from planning to completion. A project of such scale has necessitated partnerships with foreign companies from China all the way to the US.
Now, 13 years in, Sabah Al Salem University City is 85% complete; construction started in 2012, and should be achieved in 2019. On 6 million sqm of land a few kilometers southwest of Kuwait City, the campus cost USD1.5 billion and will provide the teaching ground for around 40,000 students.
More specifically, the campus will be divided into separate male and a female sections, both crossed by an artery—an urban street—protected from the outdoor elements and meant to be the center of campus. Lined with shops and space for student activities, the street will be the literal and metaphorical lifeline for the campus. The city will be surrounded by green landscaping, with an oasis to separate the male and female campuses and a faculty club within the oasis. In addition, a medical campus, with a 600-bed hospital and a research center, will be linked to the main campus. The Council of Ministers will soon decide whether this new campus will be part of Kuwait University or whether it will be a new university in and of itself.
And while it will be enormous, it will also be technologically top-notch and the design reflects the innovation Kuwait wants in education. A virtual library will complement physical collections, classrooms will have smartcard access, and lectures will be recorded and broadcast online. Beyond the integration of technology and learning, the architecture's design—incorporating up-to-date green technologies—will stand, too, as a flagship of Kuwait's vision for its future. It will be as sustainable as they come, with innovative shading and heat isolation to save energy, meeting several international ecological benchmarks.
As is the case with so many other vital projects, Sabah Al Salem University City is part of the Kuwait 2035 Development Plan, which highlights the need for economic diversification and underlines the importance of human capital and, thus, education. More than growing the country's number of students, this education-focused city will actively shape Kuwait's education priorities, policies, and programs. What we see is a strong push toward the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields—sectors with high employment rates. Historically dependent on expatriates in these fields, Kuwait desperately lacks national employee candidates with the required knowledge and training, most notably in the oil and gas sector. Sabah Al Salem City's focus on hard sciences will drive economic diversification with a supply of qualified Kuwaiti human capital, reducing the reliance on foreigners to make the economy go round.
As a flagship project for the public education sector, it is but a spark for reform throughout the education sector, cutting across both private and public domains. Curriculums are being standardized, and a great number of private universities are flourishing, either through the establishment of new universities or the expansion of operations at existing ones.
And so, 14 years after its inception, planning on the behemoth-sized project is coming to an end. A dazzling design, an innovative use of technology, and the daunting task of steering the future of Kuwait's education sector in the right direction, the realization of Sabah Al Salem University City's true education transformation remains to be seen.
BUILDING KNOWLEDGE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Guest Speaker
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu,, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Turkey
TBY talks to Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, on further developing relations in a variety of fields, strengthening economic cooperation with Kuwait, and working together on the refugee crisis.
read articleInterview
Sheikh Dr. Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Director General, Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA)
TBY talks to Sheikh Dr. Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Director General of Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA), on progress thus far, as well as continuing efforts for the year ahead.
read articleInterview
Dr. Khaled A. Mahdi, Secretary General , Supreme Council for Planning and Development
TBY talks to Dr. Khaled A. Mahdi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, on progress in Kuwait's National Development Plan, investing in human capital, and supporting SMEs.
read articleFocus: New Kuwait 2035 Development Plan
Potential for Revolution
The "New Kuwait" 2035 Development Plan was announced in January 2017 with the goal of revolutionizing Kuwait's economy in the next 20 years, diversifying it and making it competitive on the world stage. But revolutions do not come easy.
read articleInterview
Abdullah Hamad Al-Jouan, Chairman & President, The National Fund for Small & Medium Enterprise Development (National Fund)
TBY talks to Abdullah Hamad Al-Jouan, Chairman & President of The National Fund for Small & Medium Enterprise Development (National Fund), on increasing support for SMEs, technology overhaul, and sectors with potential.
read articleInterview
Dr. Osamah A. Alsayegh, Executive Director , Energy and Building Research Center (EBRC)
TBY talks to Dr. Osamah A. Alsayegh, Executive Director of the Energy and Building Research Center (EBRC), Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), on increasing renewable energy generation capacity, improving energy security, and striving to align KISR with national development plans.
read articleInterview
Bakheet Al-Rashid, former President & CEO , Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI)
TBY talks to Bakheet Al-Rashidi, former President & CEO of Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), on the company's successful operations in the past year, its investment plans, and opportunities in the sector.
read articleInterview
Ibrahim Al-Musaiteer, Deputy CEO, Administration and Finance at Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC)
TBY talks to Ibrahim Al-Musaiteer, Deputy CEO of Administration and Finance at Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), on its contributions to add value to Kuwait's hydrocarbons.
read articleInterview
Qusai Al Shatti, Deputy Director General, Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT)
TBY talks to Qusai Al Shatti, Deputy Director General of the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT), on implementing e-government initiatives, measuring progress, maintaining security.
read articleInterview
Sheikh Yousef Abdullah Sabah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah, Director General, Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA)
TBY talks to Sheikh Yousef Abdullah Sabah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah, Director General of the Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA), on the Kuwait Logistics City Project, plans to increase capacity, and digitalization.
read articleFocus: Healthcare Costs
The Costs of Living
Kuwait's health infrastructure and workforce is relatively small, while major health problems have arisen over the past decades. The state is still the dominant force in health expenditure, but private-sector participation is the key to expanding the healthcare sector.
read articleInterview
Ahmad Yousef Al Kandari, Vice Chairman & CEO , United Facilities Management (UFM)
TBY talks to Ahmad Yousef Al Kandari, Vice Chairman & CEO of United Facilities Management (UFM), on weathering the storm, freeing up client potential, and laying the groundwork for successful organizational structure.
read articleInterview
Ali Hussein Al-Yoha, Secretary General, National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL)
TBY talks to Ali Hussein Al-Yoha, Secretary General of National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL), on protecting Kuwaiti folklore, encouraging investment in cultural tourism, and bringing the benefits of culture to every Kuwaiti's doorstep.
read articleInterview
Rana A. Al Nibari, General Manager, The Scientific Center Kuwait (TSCK)
TBY talks to Rana A. Al Nibari, General Manager of The Scientific Center Kuwait (TSCK), on rousing people's curiosity for science and technology, connecting with students and their families, and encouraging sustainability.
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