Page 279 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

The progress oj state education, 1939-1941 599

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I roGrot to say that it has not yot boon poaslble to do very much for
1*0 remaining villago ochoolo, Sitrnh and Suq Al-Khnmio. Tho difficul-
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t»ro io that tho villages in which those schools aro situated aro very
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jungly - in tho case of Sitrah, exclusively - Shi'i, and that it has been
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I ssiblo to find in Bahrain any Shi'i toachor of sufficient oducation and
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jlllty to go to either of the two schools as headmaster. Wo have supplied

i!rah end Suq Al-Khomin generously with books and oquipmont, and wo are
;
porting tho schools by froquont visits, otc., but, as I havo pointed out
lie not oquipmont which io needed, but good touching. The numbers at Suq
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|.Ih?aio remain at about 40, and at Sitrah, tho worst school in the Island.
bat 23. At tho latter school practically nothing io boing taught boyond
ilicion >uid Quran. Wo aro continuing our ooarch for compotunt Shi'i mast-

;i for theso schools, and if by tho ond of tho ochool yoar they cannot be
iwd wo shall try tho offset of colling a mooting of tho head mon of the
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lllngo and suggesting tho appointment of Sunni headmasters noxt year, side
,
[side with the retention of the raullas for tho classes in Roligion and
ir&n.
Nor lias vory much boon done, so for, for tho two largo schools of

and Uuharraq. Tho exaggerated importanco accorded to those two
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Mo in the past, and tho useondnney which they had gained over all the
*8r schools, suggested tho wisdom of giving attention and support to the
icor schools first, espooially as very little can be done for Manamah and

Wrnq until now and efficient mastors have been engaged, and this cannot
boforo tho beginning of the new ochool year. This is not to say that
1 two large schools havo boon entiroly neglected i they ore certainly

f9 offioiont to-day than they wore six months ago. With better teachers
7 ohould become highly offioiont schools.

I tun glad to be able to report that the reforms oarriod out in tho

^oua schools hare not, so far, necessitated tho dismissal of any teacher.

A great deal of propaganda has boen carried ofct, in various ways, in