All Employees Update Your Degrees Now Through Sahel App

KUWAIT CITY: The Committee for Examining Academic Credentials has stressed to government and private sector entities the importance of updating their employees’ data within a deadline that will be specified in notifications sent to each employee through the government application Sahel, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

Assistant Undersecretary for Scholarships and Study Leaves at the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Narjes Abdulrasoul told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Thursday that the Committee for Examining Academic Credentials of employees in the public and private sectors, including citizens and expatriates, organized an orientation forum at the CSC headquarters.

Present at the forum were representatives of ministries, government departments, public authorities and institutions, as well as State-owned companies.

It aimed to clarify the role of the committee and the responsibilities of participating entities in achieving its objectives.

Abdulrasoul explained that one of the primary objectives of the committee is to ensure the accuracy and integrity of employee data and to verify the academic qualifications of employees in the public and private sectors, whether citizens or expatriates, in order to guarantee the continuation of their financial and employment benefits.

She added that the procedures for applying for equivalency of academic qualifications obtained outside Kuwait are explained through the website of the Ministry of Higher Education or its services on the Sahel application, including a detailed step-by-step guide on how to obtain electronic equivalency.

She praised the efforts of the subteams at the CSC, Ministry of Higher Education, and Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) in this regard. She underscored the importance of cooperation among liaison officers of various entities to ensure the smooth implementation of the process and the immediate achievement of its objectives.

She warned that forging certificates is a crime as per Article 259 of Kuwaiti Penal Code No. 16/1960. The article stipulates that anyone who forges an academic or professional certificate and uses it while being aware that it is forged shall face imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding KD5,000, or any one of these penalties.

Abdulrasoul affirmed that combating this crime is vital to the preservation of the integrity of official documents, ensuring the validity of qualifications, and guaranteeing the continuous entitlement of their holders to financial and professional benefits within a legal framework.

She stressed that deterrent penalties are an effective means of addressing this phenomenon and strengthening trust and transparency.

It is worth mentioning that the Cabinet tasked Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sharida Al-Maousherji with forming the committee, which is headed by the Legal Advice and Legislation Department and includes representatives from five government entities — Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice and the CSC.

This appears to be part of a broader verification campaign in Kuwait to ensure academic qualifications are accurate and legitimate for both Kuwaiti citizens and expatriates in all sectors.

If you’re an employee affected by this, check the Sahel app for any personal notifications with your specific deadline, and follow the guides there (or on the Ministry of Higher Education site) for updates or equivalency requests if your degree is from abroad. Let me know if you need more context or help finding related official resources!