The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled, has officially approved the decision of the Public Authority for Manpower regarding the controls for disbursing the social allowance and the children’s allowance to those sent on scholarships, whether for study or training, as well as to those sent for treatment abroad and their companions.
The decision, which will be published in the Official Gazette today, outlines the following conditions for granting study leave with pay and continuing to pay the social allowance and child allowance prescribed for workers in non-governmental agencies:
1. Approval of the employer.
2. The employer continues to pay the scholarship student’s wages.
3. The scholarship must be to obtain a higher qualification.
4. The qualification must be in the field of work of the scholarship student or employer.
5. Obtaining the necessary approvals from the Ministry of Higher Education.
6. The scholarship student must not have previously received a scholarship to obtain the same academic degree.
In addition to these conditions, the social allowance and the child allowance will be disbursed to scholarship students based on the following periods:
1. Five years to obtain a university degree, except for students on scholarship to medical colleges, who are allowed an additional two years.
2. Two years to obtain a master’s degree.
3. Three years to obtain a doctorate degree.
Researchers may continue to receive the social allowance and the children’s allowance for an additional year, provided that an application is submitted to the Authority along with the reasons and justifications for doing so, along with the necessary approvals.
For scholarship students who are sent for training, the following conditions must be met:
1. The training must be vocational and in the field of work of the scholarship student or the employer.
2. The training program must be part of the annual training plan presented.
3. An application must be submitted to the Public Authority for Manpower, accompanied by documents supporting the training, its duration, scope, and location, for examination and study by the concerned administration. The Authority may form a committee to verify the conditions for scholarship for training and decide on the submitted applications based on the information provided by the concerned administration.
The social allowance and children’s allowance are paid for a period not exceeding six years and may be extended for a similar period, with the approval of the General Assembly. However, companies operating in the field of maritime or air navigation are excluded from this period in order to obtain the necessary license to begin work from the competent training authorities.
It is important to note that scholarship students are obligated to work in the private sector for a period similar to the period of study leave. Failure to do so will result in the obligation to refund the amount spent by the Public Authority for Manpower during the leave period, proportionate to the remaining period to be spent in the private sector. However, if the scholarship student adjusts their status within one year from the expiry date of registration with the General Organization for Social Insurance, and continues to work in the private sector for the specified period, the obligation to refund will not apply.
Similarly, if the scholarship student does not obtain the required qualification or pass the training course, they are obligated to return the amount spent by the Public Authority for Manpower during the leave period.
These guidelines aim to ensure that scholarship recipients fulfill their obligations and contribute to the development of the private sector while receiving the necessary support and allowances during their educational or training endeavors.
Source: TimesKuwait
