Page 205 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

The progress of slate education, 1939-1941 525

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Inot intend to write much in this Report about Methods of Teaching,
fince method, wo huvo already sccu, comes within tho provinco of tho
Director of Kducation, or, if thoro is no director of education, within tho
province of tho Inspector. I3ut somo of tho mothods which I saw being
Used in I ho schools of Bahrain wero so orudo, or so mietukon, that I fed it
my duty to mention thorn, in ordor that their future uso may bo forbidden.
It is much to bo hoped that tbo now controllor, whoever he may be, will
make it one of his first duties to carry out a thorough examination of tho
methods of teaching uow in use in Bahrain, and that he will ruthlessly
abolish ull antiquated mothods in favour of modern ones.

First about tho Toachiug of Reading. I saw at somo of tho schools
numbers of little boys, who had barely mastered their lottoru, being taught
to read from tho Qur’an. But tho Qur’an was not writton as a reading-book
for littlo boys. It is not scion titioally arranged as a school roador, starting
with simplo syllables and oasy words, and gradually, pago by pugo,
employing more difficult words, to suit tho incroasiug knowledgo and
ability of tho pupil. To uso a Qur'au as a moans of tcaohing a child to read is
like trying to make him run bofore ho can walk. Tho faot that this method
of teaching reading has boon used in tho Arab countries for many conturies
does not make it tbo right ouo, or ovon a successful ono : educationally it
id quite absurd. Thoro aro published, in all languages, scicntilically-dcsigncd
and proporly-gradcd reading-books for children, and if wo arc to huvo
progress at tho propor rato iu tho schools of Bahrain it is cssontial that
such books should bo used. I recommend that your Highness should abso­
lutely forbid tho uso of tho Qur'an U6 a method of toachiug children to road,
mid should order that proper reading-books bo used. If this is dono, it will
be fouud that tho children will dorivo uioro bouolifc in ouo hour from a
scientifically-designed roador than thoy could obtain iu a week from a book
which was desigued for reading by adults.