Kuwait, India hold seminar on auditing practices, oversight

KUWAIT: The State Audit Bureau (SAB) and the Office of the Auditor General of India (OAGI) launched a joint seminar on Monday focusing on auditing practices in the higher education sector, as part of the third phase of an existing memorandum of understanding between the two institutions. In a press statement, the SAB said the four-day seminar comes within its efforts to strengthen its oversight role and exchange professional expertise with international counterparts. It noted that higher education is a vital sector that requires rigorous auditing to ensure the efficient use of public funds.

The SAB will present a working paper outlining its methodology for developing inspection plans, analyzing ministry budgets and collecting relevant data. The paper will also cover the organizational structure of the Ministry of Higher Education and its role in supervising internal and external scholarship programs, as well as the responsibilities of Kuwait’s cultural offices abroad in monitoring scholarship students.

Several practical case studies related to audits in the higher education sector will also be showcased. Abdulrahman Al-Mutawa, senior auditor at the SAB’s Social and Service Affairs Control Department, said the paper will examine the ministry’s adherence to the annual foreign scholarship plan and the alignment of specializations offered with labor market needs.

It will also address mechanisms for verifying the performance of Kuwait’s cultural offices through expenditure reviews and system assessments both inside and outside the country. Al-Mutawa added that the paper will cover regulations governing diplomats and local employees working in cultural offices, as well as contracts related to student and staff insurance. A field visit will be arranged for seminar participants to the Ministry of Higher Education to review the topics discussed and engage with ministry specialists, in addition to viewing key projects and initiatives carried out by the ministry.— KUNA