As part of community partnership and the mutual commitment to preparing distinguished human resources, the IICO signed a cooperation agreement with Kuwait University, at the university's headquarters in Sabah Al-Salem University City in Shadadiyah. The agreement aims to open new horizons for scholarship students in fields such as teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, undergraduate and graduate studies in religious, humanities, and scientific fields, as well as other associated activities.

The agreement was signed on behalf of The IICO by its Chairman of the Board, Dr. Abdullah Maatouq Al-Maatouq, and on behalf of the university by its Acting Director, Dr. Nawaf Al-Mutairi. The signing ceremony was attended by the Acting Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Dr. Salem Al-Shammari, the Assistant Secretary-General for Facilities Management, Mohammed Saud Al-Sulaiman, the Director General of The IICO, Bader Al-Sumait, and his deputies, Abdulrahman Al-Mutawa and Ibrahim Al-Badr.

Academic Cooperation

On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Dr. Al-Maatouq said, "We signed this cooperation agreement with great pride and gratitude with this distinguished academic institution to continue the journey of academic cooperation in graduating Kuwait's ambassadors abroad.

Dr. Al-Maatouq extended a well-deserved word of thanks and a salute to Kuwait University – its leadership, professors, and administrators – for the academic seats it has dedicated since the 1980s as part of The IICO’s scholarship program for outstanding students.

He added, "This agreement comes in light of The IICO's strategic vision for 2022-2026, which aims to provide educational opportunities with high-quality and distinctive outcomes for students in the neediest communities, to nurture and qualify promising, effective, and positively influential leaders in their communities."

He expressed his hope for the success of this agreement with Kuwait University, which has a renowned academic history in knowledge production, development, and dissemination, as well as in qualifying human resources that meet the developmental needs of the state and keep pace with the demands of the modern era through the quality of higher education.

An excellent experience

For his part, the Acting Director of Kuwait University Dr. Nawaf Al-Mutairi praised the honorable history of The IICO and its excellent experience in cooperating with various entities. He affirmed the university's commitment to providing all educational and academic services to scholarship students and utilizing all the university's resources to ensure the success of this mutual cooperation.

He pointed out that Kuwait University has always provided distinguished education that contributes to the production and development of knowledge, in its efforts to localize, develop, and disseminate human knowledge. The university is committed to preparing human resources and leaders who are conscious of their heritage, to meet the needs and requirements of the modern era, in cooperation with scientific institutions that share its mission.

Community Partnership

For his part, Dr. Salem Al-Shammari, Acting Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at Kuwait University, stated that the university seeks to enhance its intellectual and cultural role through cooperation with various civil society institutions. This has been realized through collaboration with the Deanship of Student Affairs to achieve the principle of community partnership and open avenues for education both within Kuwait and abroad.

Extended Cooperation

The IICO’s cooperation with this ancient academic began in 2007, by allocating 7 scholarships to postgraduate students, which later developed to 15 seats annually. In 2012, the cooperation extended to include the bachelor’s level, until it reached the allocation of 30 scholarships in the university’s colleges. And 10 scholarships to teach Arabic to non-native speakers through the Language Center.

The IICO also maintains close cooperative relations with the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, under which a number of annual scholarships are allocated for studies in its colleges and training institutes.

Earlier, The IICO and the Arab Open University in Kuwait signed a partnership agreement to plan, prepare, and implement the "Educational Qualification Diploma for Emergency Teachers" program, marking a qualitative development in the field of education in emergencies.

The agreement with the Arab Open University aims to develop education in emergencies and to qualify those working in this field. It seeks to enhance the level of service provision in this domain, recognizing the importance of leveraging the available scientific and practical capabilities of these entities during emergencies.

Additionally, the IICO recently signed a cooperation agreement with Abdullah Al-Salem University at the university's headquarters. This agreement aims to support scholarship students both within Kuwait and abroad, opening new horizons for nurturing and qualifying promising and effective leaders equipped with skills aligned with the labor market, in line with the shared strategic objectives.