Page 358 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat

748 Records of Bahrain

2, Tho only difficulty in dealing with this proposal is its lack
of precision as at present formulated, I understand that this may
be partly duo to the foot that there is an unresolved argument
between tlv; tduoation Department and tho Education council about
their respective responsibilities, and that the department does not
want' to allow the council to have direct administrative control of

the private schools or of anything else, but to restrict its
functions to those of an advisory nature, which is in accordance
with the Council's terms of reference, One of the results of the
fact that this internal discussion is still proceeding is that tho
draft ordinance to bo issued by the Bahrain Government which is
enclosed in Mr. Gault's letter does not make it clear what degree of
control over private schools is reully Intended, All that the
draft does is to say that the schools have to fill in forms saying
whut subjects they teuc**, etc. Clearly more than this is intended.

In order to try to clarify this point Mr, Guult hud a further
conversation with the Director of Education who suid tliut what he
wanted wus that the Government should have the righto of inspection
und co-ordination. In his opinion it wus undcoiruble to define these
terms more closely since circumstances would differ in each school
and if the definition were left wide it would leuve more scope for

discussion between the parties with a better prospect of a working
arrangement being reached. He did not for instance anticipate
that the government would wish to interfere with tlx?3ahrain
Petroleum Company's training scheme for its employees even though
the latter were Bahrainis and the training was conducted in English.
The company would clearly continue to conduct its operations in
English und it was therefore inevitable that the technical training

of its employees of whatever nationality should also be in English.
3. Subject to your approval I would now lilco to suy to the Bahrain
Government that we had no objection in principle to tho exercise of
supervision by the Education Department over private schools which
/may