Page 278 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

598 Records of Bahrain

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t,j0n of what is proposed.

Tho story of Budnyyi' lc boing ropoatod at Rufa' School, which until
,V)ut throo woeks ago was in tho hands of an elderly Mulla and hie eon,

!nth of whom could write ao v/oll no road, but who wore othorwioo not very
\
1 ir above tho average of the other school roullas ns regards education,
i
jirofc weeks ago, the best teacher at Muharrnq School was sent to Rufa' as
ladaaBtcr, again with the willing agreement of the mullas, who declarod
]I
•jit thoy would welcome the arrival of an efficient instructor, oven though
L would take preoodenco over themselves, by becoming headmaster. When the

hi hoadmaoter arrived tho numbors were about 30. More than 20 new boyo
irrlvod in tho first week, and now, at the ond of three weeks of the new

I'lgicie, the numbers have reached 104. It has now become necessary to supply
Jib school with a second good master, and this is almost sure to lead to a
irthor incroase in the numbers. In any case, Rufa1 School is now too smal3 I

ir tho number of boys who have become rogular attendants, and we shall hav<
Jthor to build, or to turn away somo of the boyo.
An interesting foaturo of Rufa* School is the prosenco in it of a
aber of girls. About a couple of months ago, whilo I was visiting tho

tool, tho Mulla apologisod to me for the presonce of one girl, his own
wghtor. I told him that there was no need to apologiso, as tho education
girls was a very good thing. I said no moro than this, but in a fow

|W time there were ten girls in the school and there are now 25. Their
1*3 rango from about 7 to 11. It i8 incrodiblo that nil those girls are

Ending the boys' ochool without the approval of thoir parents, which io
•trong commentary upon our too easily accepted view that such a thing ae
tod education oimply could not happen amongst the Arabs. As it happens,
** now removing the girls from the school to quarters of their own, but

to ie solely in order to make room for the greatly increased numbors of
11 boys, and not from any other consideration. It is very much to be
f«d that it may be possible to open a regular girls' school at Rufa* next-

*tober, under 'women teachers.