Segregation Laws – Intaw Shakoo?

Growing up in a private, un-segregated school may have its advantages and disadvantages; although I can not think of a single feasible disadvantage right now. During my 14 years at Bayan Bilingual School I gained more brothers and sisters than I could have ever imagined. I felt safe, and loved. As we grew up, some of my friends transferred to public school (at the time there were no separate gender private schools), because their parents thought that at a certain age boys and girls should not be associating freely. At the time, I argued that if a parent segregates their child now, in the future, when they start to work they will have to re-associate themselves with the male/female gender anyway! In the end I came to terms with it and moved on.

After I graduated college and came home I found out that a new law had passed segregating students at Kuwait University. Again, I made the same argument, but who would listen to a 21 year old fresh graduate. Nowadays though, I hear that Parliament is planning on passing a law requesting segregation in private schools and universities as well. All I can say to this is, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Who do you think you are? PRIVATE does not mean public and please feel free to change whatever you want whenever you feel like it. Now, I am not a parent yet, but if I was, as I’m sure many will side with me on this issue I would repeat the question Intaw Shakoo (meaning who are you to decide)? I am the parent. I am the one who decides where and with whom my son or daughter studies. I decide if they can go on a mixed field trip. I decide if they should study drama, art, music, or religion. I decide if they can exercise together NOT Parliament, and certainly NOT the Ministry of Education. No one should have the right to tell me how to raise my child. Unless I am physically abusing my child (God Forbid), stay away from my private life.

Separate from the fact that I think this law is absurd; it is also costing the schools and students time and money. MP Ali Fahad Al-Rashed has stated that students are graduating at different times due to problems with segregated classes, as well as an increase in costs for new buildings. Who is going to pay for the changes that have to be made at Kuwait University and the other private schools and universities? Who is going to pay for the new building and the LAND that has to be bought? Let’s remove the idea that neither the universities can cough up that kind of money nor will the parents pay extra school fees to accommodate such a change with what economic inflation is these days. The next usual response will happen. A committee in Parliament will submit a budget to help out the universities. Parliament will argue the cost and it will be stalled for numerous years.

My response to all this mayhem is this. If you (meaning everyone FOR the segregation laws) want segregated universities, build your own. You don’t like the fact that there are mixed schools and universities, blame the Government for approving them in the first place and Parliament for letting it happen. DO NOT under any circumstances change your minds AFTER private citizens worked hard to maintain higher education for your children, or override a parent’s right to raise their child their own way. I repeat this statement to anyone wishing to overrule a parent’s wishes, intaw shako? I do not argue that times change, but I also do not think that changes should have a negative consequence. You may not like my topic of discussion, but I do believe in freedom of speech and speak I will.