Page 189 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

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The progress of slate education, 1939-1941 509

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So much for Iho framowork. What subjects shall wo leach ?
'j’ho uluealional problem in Bahrain is not a normal ono. Tho discovery
of oil, ami tin' advent of tho Oil Company, havo raised problems which aro
peculiar to Bahrain. Tho Government's purposo in supplying the public
with freo education is, as wo havo scon, “to provido tho State with loyal und
useful subjects, and to provido those subjects with something of value to thom-
sclvcs". The aim of tho public, in making uso of what is supplied, is not
on ijuilo so high a plauo. I could not find, anywhoro in tho Island, any
sJan whatsoever of a desiro for education for its own sako. Tho point of
view of cveryono with whom I talked—ovon that of tho schoolmasters—
scorned to bo that education is roquired iu Bahrain solely as a raoaus to an
cud Iho end being a lucrativo post with tho Oil Company. And whon ono
couBidcrs tho conditions of grinding poverty under which tho majority of
tbs peoplo aro living, this is a viow of education which caunot bo too hastily
condemned. To tho Island has como groat and unoxpocted wealth, and it
is porhaps only reasonable that tho people of tho Island should bo looking
for their fair sharo of it.
... /Such is tho viow of tho public, and it is this viow which guides thoir
striotly * utilitarian attitudo towards oduoation. But govorumouts havo
obligations towards pooplos, and aro not bound always to fall in with tho
popular viow. I think that what wo should aim at, in Bahrain, is a com­
promise betwoon tho highor purpose of tho Govorumcnt aud tho lowor
requirements of tho publio. I think wo should try to oquip our boys
physically and moutally for tho posts which thoy covot, whilo at tho samo
tiino giving them somothing of highor value iu addition, somothing which
will sluud thorn in good stead all thoir lives, whothor thoy happon to bo in
employment or not. What form of education is likoly to accomplish all this,
in tho comparatively short timo at our disposal ?

I think tho great principles to keep in mind aro thut a fow branches of
knowledge, proporly mastored, aro far bettor than twice as mauy only
half digested, aud that character is as valuablo in lifo as learning.

Thcro has, I know, boon muoh talk in Bahrain about tho nood for
‘‘secondary education”. A groat deal was said to mo on tho subject whilo I
was visiting tho schools, by tho schoolmasters. Thoy spoko of tho desirabil­
ity of establishing “scoondary classes” iu tho oxistiug schools, of tho need
for a “secondary school” in Manamah, aud of tho nood for “ovoning second­
ary eduoatiou”. I did not, aud still do not, uudorstaud what was mount by
all this talk of secondary oducation iu Bahrain, for sooondary oducation
already exist* thoro, in at least threo of tho sohools.

Primary oducation moaus tho teaching of children to road, to writo, to
add, to multiply, to divido, and to subtract, and nothing olso. Anything
b°yoiui this is secondary oduoation. Tho loarniug of foreign languagos is
most, certainly secondary oduoation, and a foreigu language (Euglish) is
Wight to all tho boys at tho sohools of Manamah, Muharraq, and Hodd,
except in tho very lowest classes, and ovon in tLeso tho infants aro taught
tho Bnalwh letters of tho alphabet, sido by side with tho Arabio. Tho boys
m the 'Schools whioh I havo meutionod aro being taught othor subjocts
also which aro far from bo ing primary subjects. I fool that thoso who aro
^dating (or “ sooondary oduoation ” uro allowing themsolvos to bo mesmor-
iscd by words, rathor than boiug guidod by faots.