Page 222 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

542 Records oj Bahrain

04

Kxira-Mural Education.
\ conception of cduoation whioh limits itself to tho four walls of
classroom and to tho subjects of school text-books is a somewhat
narrow one. The scope of education is much wider than this, and an
alert director of education will find many othor opportunities of disseininut-
,y knowledge. His first duty, of courso, will bo to tho scboolchildron;
but an informed youth and an ignorant adult population leads to compli-
cationa which a wider viow of public instruction would do much to prevout.
There aro a numbor of channels through which knowledge can be
conveyed to tkoso who aro no longor of school ago, but the ono which
comes lirst to mind in the caso of Bahrain is that of tho Police. Your
Highness has collected what appears to bo- a lino body of intelligent and
well-disciplined policoraon, and tho greatest uso could bo made of thorn in
Iho education of tho more backward of the poople in matters of health,
hygiene, and sanitation, as well as in civic and other matters; for tho highosb
possible advantage is obtained from a police-force only when its members,
besides bciug tho controllers of the publio, aro also its counsellors, guides,
and educators. But policemen cannot bo used as oduoators unless they
aro themsolvc9 educated, and for this roason I suggest to your Highness
that educational facilities should bo freoly oxtondod to the Police by tho
Educulioo Department, which should never bo allowed to consider that
its proper functions aro oonlinod to tho olassrooms of tho rogular sohoola.
Your Higbuess’s British Advisor, under whoso tutelage and caro tho Polico
have been brought to so high a pitch of eflicicucy, would bo quito tho
best person to formulato tho oxact educational requiromonts of tho Police,
and it would Ikon bo for Education to provido tho appropriate toachors
aud tho necessary facilities. I imagine that elementary classes in tho
English language, for example, would bo of tho utmost value to tho
Polico of Buhruiu, in viow of tho many English-speaking residents and
visitors with whom they now havo to deal.

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