Page 16 - History of Arabian Mission 1926-1957

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"The program of the school io determined by the missionary in charge. them. But the boys who have caught up do not have the background of Christian J «
Discipline of pupils and plans for special programs are worked on by the teach­ instruction and character training which the longer and more leisurely course i
ing staff. Discipline of the staff, dismissing a teacher for moral reasons, gave.
and other such problems, have been the responsibility of the church, or a small ?
group within the church. Our school is not an institution in itself. It has "We still have a very flexible curriculum, no examinations, consider­ (
been part of a community effort which includes morning prayers in Muscat and able freedom of movement. But we are gradually organizing and developing a
Matrah, picnics, Sunday school, church. The love and care and discipline both staff and a definite program. Oman Is changing and oil Is just around the
from the school and from the Harrisons and then the Thoms in Matrah, all worked corner."
together to build a community of which church, school and hospital are a part." : ‘
The missionaries chiefly associated with the Muscat school work are the 5
The teaching staff consists of five Arab teachers, the Kapengas, and Van Peursems, the Dykstras (under whom the present school was organized) and
some volunteer help from on English woman; also an Indian woman teacher. Four the Kapengas. Miss Rachel Jackson was in charge during the Kapengas* furlough
of the Arab teachers are foraer pupils, and two of them are now studying in in 1957-58.
3ahrain, and their places are being filled by missionary and other mission t
helpers, all, on a part time basis. Kuwait and Bahrain - the Schools that were closed.

Mrs. Kapenga continues: "In our attempt to upgrade our school to ap­ Kuwait.
proximate Bahrain standards, which we have not as yet achieved due to the lack
of a principal and trained teachers, we have become more institutionalized and The boys' school in Kuwait was, in 1926, flourishing in spite of many
rigid In our patterns. In the old days our children entered when toddlers and rivals. Two well-endowed Arab schools had been started in emulation of the
stayed with us till they were sixteen or so. Regardless of the little they mission school, with emphasis on the Koran, traditions, law, and Arabic;
may have learned in the thirteen or more years they spent with us, they were but including some modern secular subjects. There was also a charitable school
under our influence, they heard the Gospel, they memorized songs and verses, for orphans. Many smaller schools existed, ranging down to the llest
and some of what they learned must have had lasting Influences on their Muna schools which taught only the Koran.
) characters.
However, the mission School's excellence in English, somewhat offset
"Where are the children who left us under the old system? Three are the appeal of the others to religious zeal. Commercial pursuits for young men
now studying in Basrah and hope to enter the nurses' training program next were already looming on Kuwait's horizon, and a business training seemed to be
year. Two girls are in Bahrain hoping to improve their teaching ability. what the Mission should offer to the youths of Kuwait. The whole afternoon in
Three are working in the women's hospital and constitute the literate branch the school was given to that study, which included Bible and the Christian way i l
of helpers. One of these is a Christian and we hope she will enter the nurses' of life.
training. Three are working in the men's hospital and two are working elsewhere !
in the Mission. Others have worked in the Mission at various times, and almost Several prominent men wished to entrust the training of their sons en­
all our graduates have a friendly feeling toward the missionaries and a toler­ tirely to the staff of the mission School, and the ruling Sheikh asked that^
ance of our activities. When these young people left school they were old his small son, too young to be a regular pupil, might be enrolled as a.listener.
enough to be sent away or to start working. They could read, write, and do
simple arithmetic. They knew some English and were familiar with the basic Fanaticism sometimes provoked demonstrations against the school out It i
ideas of Christianity. always weathered the storm. Night classes were urgently requested and were ! .
very successful.
"Why cannot we then go on thi3 way if the result for Christianity is
so much better than the new system? Simply because the competition of a greatly It was a (natter of deep regret to the Mission that because of financial i
improved government school makes It necessary to teach more than the three R's.
stringency the school had to be discontinued in 1933*
"Vie do not now admit children under five since we cannot supply a baby­ For several years thereafter the evangelistic worker continued to in­ 1
sitting service with our present small staff. With the supervised study pro­ clude several classes a day in his program.
gram of the lower grades, these older children are able to learn what Is
expected of them in a year and to pass on to the next class. At the present When the Rev. E. E. Calverley returned to Kuwait many years later, a
rate of acceleration, the ones entering now will finish what we have to offer member of the ruling family, who had been his pupil, gave a dinner for him to 1 i
scholastically by the age of eleven. Some of these are Christian children and which he invited other foiroer pupils. A large group attended, conspicuous for i
u others very close to us. What shall we do with them? They are too you ns to the fact that they all held key positions in the government and important post6
send away and too young to start working, Shall we let them leave us at this
impressionable age to study Koran and Islam at the government school? Vie are in business. One and all paid tribute to the character training they had re- I
ceived, along with their foundations in English.
losing them to our own religious teaching Just at the age when they begin to
get Interesting, and ju6t at the age when the nationalistic claims of Islam The Mission had given Kuwait its first modern school, and thereby sup­
begin to work on them. We now have boys who have been in school at least eight plied the impetus which has resulted In the splendid educational system of the
years, and now those who entered three years afeo are in the same class with
State of Kuwait today.