Page 160 - Neglected Arabia Vol 2

rBfT pT!=
*5* X ■ - '*• I3&'
v?- ••

The Basrah Girls’ School
Miss Swantina Dk Yoino
R API 13 changes are taking place today in the world of Islam and i
not the least of these is the change of attitude toward education
for women. And in this lies one of the greatest hopes for the
future. When the mothers of the country are ignorant and j .
su|>erstitious, what chance is there for the building of real homes even v
though the men are well educated? During the |>ast few years, ever since i
the government has opened schools in Iraq, there has been strong op|X)si- r
tion to the Mission schools and we are often guilty of anything but a i
friendly feeling towards them. But in a larger sense it is exceedingly i
gratifying to see so many girls getting an education even if it,is not in our ;
own school. All of this is most encouraging and spells hope for the
future of the country. The men are beginning to realize this too. It . F: ; l
• •;
was especially evidenced this year in the orations which some of the school !< i
hoys delivered on different occasions. Such questions as these were i :•
asked: “How can we hope to build real homes in Iraq if our women re­ l
main ignorant ?” and “The mother is the child’s first teacher. If she is
•f
superstitious what can be expected of the children ?”
The American School for Girls in Basrah is playing an important part : 4
in building up the clmractcrn of those girl* who conic there (or their edu­ I
cation. Thin year the highest attendance reached seventy. About half
id this number arc Moslems /virile the other hulf is composed of native !
Christians, Armenians, and Jews. All of the pupils are girls except for hr
a few little boys who are in the kindergarten. The girls have been very
faithful in attending and several times when we expected only a few to i
come, owing to rain, we were very agreeably surprised to see so many
i
present. I i
School opens in the morning with a march around the courtyard to
ihe accompaniment of the piano. After that the girls form in a group
for singing. We usually sing three or four songs, a hymn in Arabic, one i ,
or two simple English songs, and then something of the girls’ own choos­ i •
ing. After the roll call they march upstairs to their classes. The school I;1
is not divided into separate grades as are most of the elementary schools
at home, but we follow the Dalton or group system of education. In i *• ; i
this way the same pupils are not in the same room with thtrsame teacher l :
for the entire day, but go from one class to another just as is done in the
high schools at home. The advantages of this system in dealing with girls I ! I.
of such varying ages and abilities will be apparent to anyone. i -
: s
The school day is divided into morning and afternoon sessions. During n*« 1
the morning there are eight classes of twenty-five minutes each with a i *
mid-morning recess. Then after lunch there are four classes. This sched­ 1
ule holds for the cooler months of the year but during the warmer months \ i
we l>egin school an hour and a half earlier in the morning and thus art
able to get in our entire program in one session. »
All of the subjects which compose the course of study for the eight
elementary grades in America are taught with the addition of half an hour
of Bible every day. These IJible courses are compulsory and when a girl
which in our school Ii is lukuu for grumcil llmt this Is lu lw part of li ll'l* n
\ 13