Page 213 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (3)_Neat

c -r.
Education in Kuwait

Rev. Edwin E. Calvkrley, Ph.D.

nPHERE are a great many schools ia jj
1 Kuwait. The Arabs conduct at lean ']
fifty-two; the Persians have eleven and th< -I
Jews and Christians have one each, making J
a minimum total of sixty-five. Of the Arab
schools twenty-five are for small girls and
twenty-seven are for boys. These schools
are not under any control by the local
government, nor is there any organized
public school system. With a few excep.
tions all the schools are due to the private
enterprise of individuals who set them­
selves up as teachers. There is no other
standard or check upon the qualification!
of the teachers than their ability to attract ;
and keep the approval of the pupils and ;
their parents. . \
THK TEACHER OF THE '■ i
MOSLEM SCHOOL
Girls' Schools
Each of the girls’ schools is taught by a woman who may or may not j
have a pupil assistant as helper. 1 he schools have on an average twenty* j
live girls, quilt! as many as mu: person can manage. I he guls lire it) i
very young. The only subject lauglil is tin: reading ul lue hoian. Wliar|
a girl finishes that she has completed her education. Ahilily to mid ll* j
Koran does not necessarily imply ability to read other bun \s. l
The income of the teacher is a variable quantity, the pupils pay]
entrance fees of one, two or five rupees, according to their capacity, and *
they pav similar sums upon the completion of each of the thirty sectiom :
into which the Koran is divided. When the whole book is hmshed and ‘
the pupil is graduated, a present is given to the teacher. It may amount
to fifteen rupees, or five dollars, from a poor family to one hundred
rupees from those who are accounted rich.
Boys' Schools

A1TtaEilk£roU„«„ ™
lung after the Mission started its school here. O'1'- , ;
families sponsored the enterprise to toster edueatioi and p.urmt^
The sum of Rs. 85.000 was collected front the benevolent public 01
this amount Rs. 40,000 was used to build a school ot n m*
with verandahs around a courtyard. The balance was <-s 4 «
endowment fund. This is the only school with such a lu d. Th.
school has a Board of Trustees in charge of its affairs. J
derived from the endowment and the fees of the pi l s, 1 > «
rupees per mensem. It has had the same superintendent from the: m,
Hu: school was founded. This gentleman was from Nm.na
chief ([ualilicatiun was his ability to read the Koran »U'- ^ "***"■• i.
self prepared a numl>er of the text hooks used in L * '1 j