Page 159 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

!

The progress of state education, 1939-1941 481
|
3

During Iho next fivo days, I inspected tho largo town soboola of
Mnimiinik and Muhavraq, tho intormodiato school at Ilodd, and tho four |
village schools of Suq-al-Kbumis, ltufa'a, Budaya, and Sitra. I also paid a
surprise visit to tho Technical School at Mauamah.

Tho Technical School, for which thoro can bo nothing but prai60, is dis­
cussed later in this Uoport. As to tho other soven, I found that thoro wore enor­
mous dilfcrcuccs in usefulness aud efficiency between tho individual aohools.

Summing them up very briefly, I may Bay that tho two most disappoint­
ing were Budaya and Sitra, which aro moribund and practically usolcss.

Bufa’a was a very bright spot, chiofly booauso tho hoya at that
school aro healthy, and aro therefore ablo to work properly, and booauso tho
headmaster has tho real schoolmaster spirit and has boon ablo, in spito of all
his dilliculties, to establish a proper school atmospkero in his tiny building.

Suq-al-Khnmis wan well-conducted, r»nd would have been another
bright spot, hut for tho low standard of health throughout tho school, which
nullities the best efforts of the headmaster and his assistants.
llcdd impressed mo very much. Taking into account tho many
obstacles with which tho headmaster has to contend, 1 am inclined to
think that 41 odd is the best of tho seven schools.
Manamnh and Muharraq aro in a class by themselves, possessing all tho
well-qualified teachers and a more advanced curriculum than the other schools.
But having said this much about Iho individual schools, let mo hasten
to add that no blame for tbo sad stuto of affairs at Budaya and Sitru can
be apportioned to tbo hcadiuastors of thoso schools, since tbov have never
received the slightest help, advice, or even encouragement, from tbo lato
Inspector, from the headmasters of the town schools, or from anyone else : nor
cun any praiso bo given to tbo superiority of Manaiuah and Muharraq,
since that superiority has bccu achieved at tho direct oxpenso of tho other
five schools of Bahrain. I shull refer to tho callous neglect of these livo
schools later in this Report.
My more immediate object is to examine tho charge, which I under­
stand is made by a cortain section of tho publio, that Bahrain education is
inefficient. To 60ir.e extent, I am afraid, that chargo is true—employers of
Buhrain schoolboys would certainly subscribe to it: but it is too sovoro,
for some of tbo schools aro doing a groat deal of good work. Perhaps
it would bo more accurate to say that tho Government schools of Bahrain
aro far from bciug as efficient as they might bo, and as they ought to bo.
That-, I think, is tho true position.
Who is to blame for this state of affairs? Not the Government, en­
tirely, or even largely, for if publio instruction is to bo a success, thoro must
bo closo co-opcruliou betwoon all three partnois in tho von.ture, tho Govoru-
mont, tho oxccutivo, and tho publio, and in my opinion tho Government
bus fully played its part. Wo shall sco how far tho other two partuors have
co-operated.

Apart from tho question of ill-health, which is very fully discussed
later in this Report, thoro aro, in my opinion, sc von main causes contributing
towards the iuofficionoy of tho aohools of Bahrain, and I proposo to oxamioo
Iheso ono by ono, suggesting a romedy for each.