Head of the Kuwait Cultural Office in Ireland, Prof. Waleed Shuaib announced on Sunday that a deal has been struck with Irish universities to eliminate a former mandatory requirement for Kuwaiti students to complete a one year study at an Irish senior high school. The great efforts and connections made for Kuwaiti scholarship students to Ireland were very fruitful, Shuaib said, adding that this academic year (2011-2012) is the first to witness the acceptance of Kuwaiti students to Irish academic institutions without the need to finish an Irish high school year. However, he noted that scholarship students must pass the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in order to be admitted. He pointed out that deals made with various public and private universities led to a direct admission of Kuwaiti high school graduates to Irish universities, which is regarded as a recognition of Kuwaiti high schools, whether public, British, American, or bilingual.