Page 165 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

The progress of stale education, 1939-1941 487

<)

sixth cause of inoflicicncy ia tho lack, by all Iko studouts, iu all
Ibe M.*licioli, of a Sound Grounding, or Educational Foundation.
Jt I ms long been realised in tho European countries that tho babies’
elates of any school nro of far greater importance than tho top classos, and
Ibiit only tho very beat teachers aro capablo of properly teaching infanta. It
Inis long been realised that unless a child has boon given a sound founda­
tion daring Ibo first few years of his school lifo, all futuro oITorts of oduoato
him properly will prove unavailing.
It i* during tho first two or tbreo years of his school lifo that a etudout
is made or marred, for it is then, and only then, that ho is likoly to loam tho
educational virtues of neatness, order, method, logical thought, effort, con­
centration, and the like. These things cannot bo taught later on ; and unloss
a student possesses this foundation, for his later teachers to build upon, his
case is hopeless, b'or this reason tho European educational systems lavish
Ibe utmost care upon the education of tho Infant*, considering thorn to bo
of far greater importance than any other students.
I a the East the prevailing praotico is exactly tho opposito. Iloro wo
always find the best teachers being givon to tho highest classes, and tho
young, inexperienced, poorly-qualified touchers being considered quito good
enough for tho babies. No greater mistako in education could possibly bo
made, and tho making of this mistake is one of tho chief reasons why tho
educational standard of tho Arab countries is so low, whon compared with
that of the countries of Europe.
Tho present system in Bahrain is to herd together in small rooms, for
hours on end, largo numbers of infants, under the euro of young and inex­
perienced teachers, and thou to bo surprised, later on, to find that tho
educational standard in Bahrain is low. These littlo hoys aro given no
books from which to study, nor aro they provided with any kind of manual
occupation, so iiiiportaut in tho early education of children. They aro ox-
pr.clcd to sit, hour after hour, morning aud afternoon, watching each other’s
efforts with a pioco of chalk on a blackboard which only a few of thorn can
see. At other times they epond long hours copying from printed books
words or sentences of which they do not even know tho meanings. Tho
ftmount of education imparled by theso methods is practically nil—in fact
this is not education at ull, and such a curriculum can only succeed iu
implanting in a child’s mind a deep hatred of school and study, aud all
connected with it.
infants at school need special teaching, spooiul oquipmoub, spooial
boms, much baudwork, much play, and individual surroundings. Those
things cannot ho obtained in sohools which aro designed for tho education
°1 ' oys up to tho ages of 17 and 18. Quito apart from this, it is undesirable
Ij.ai infants should frequent tho saino schools as youths of twico or three
limes their age. And it is utlorly uudosirablo thut they should bo made to
v.oia the same number of hours.
N thorc is to bo any real improvomout in Bahrain education, that
iiiijiiovcinont must begin at tho bottom, and it cannot como from the top.
i mil to press upon your Highuess tho urgent necessity of ordering a ooin-
pl'.lo reversal of tho present polioy regarding tho education of At fill in
Bahrain, Absolutely separate sohools should bo built for them, as soou as
prS:;iblo, at Manainah, Muharraq, and Hedd. They should bo providod with