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nomination of several of its nominees. One of the objections which was made to two of the
Government’s nominees was that they had stood for election but had not been elected. There
was, however, precedent for the Government s action as for many years it had been the practice
to nominate for seats on the two municipal councils, one or two of the candidates who had
stood for election but who failed to obtain the necessary number of votes. The matter of the
Education and Health Committees became hopelessly entangled in the political arguments
which disturbed the country during 1956 The first committee never functioned and finally, at
the end of the year, when conditions had returned to normal after the supression of the “Com­
mittee of National Union,” the new name for the “Higher Executive Committee," it was
decided that eight suitable persons should be appointed by the Government. Those who
formed the new committee, under the presidency of Shaikh Khalifah bin Sulman, His Highness’s
second son, were a representative group including several leading members of the community
who had administrative experience in their own business firms and sound knowledge of local
conditions. The committee faced its somewhat difficult task with energy and common sense
and it is hoped that this committee—of a very different calibre from the first education committee
which sat in 1926—will prove a valuable help in the development of education in Bahrain.
One of the committee’s first actions was to consider possible economics in the administration
of the department of education, not in itself a popular move, but an indication that the com­
mittee was prepared to take action which they thought necessary without considering any
adverse reflections which they might incur by advocating economics. The amount spent on
education in 1956 was 54 lakhs.
This short sketch describes very briefly the development of education in Bahrain over the
last thirty years. Bahrain was the first State in the Gulf to start government schools and to
introduce female education. It has never been possible to build luxurious schools or to employ
numbers of highly paid foreign teachers but this has not been such a disadvantage as the public
believe. In the beginning the development was gradual but as time passed the speed of develop­
ment increased and perhaps lately the rapidity of development has at times outrun the capability
of the departmental organisation which controls education. The new Education Committee
will be a valuable help to the Department of Education.

ANNUAL REPORT ON BOYS’ EDUCATION IN BAHRAIN

YEAR 1956
By Mr. Ahmed A1 Omran, Director of Education.

The report in fact covers two successive parts of two school terms (1955-56 and first part
of 1956-57). The increase in the number of students maintained its steady rate. The total
number of students was 8,506, showing an increase of 1,123, and the number of teachers was
377, an increase of 61 teachers. Three new schools were opened in Muharraq, Hidd and
Manama and ten classrooms were added to four village schools.

Administration and Finance. During the year a few major changes took place. Mr.
Yousuf Shirawi was appointed on the 1st of June as Assistant Director. During the summer,
the Hostel was transferred into a residential quarter for teachers, and the Warden, Mr. Yacub
Algus, was appointed as Superintendent of Primary Education at the beginning of the new term.
The Technical School was annexed to the Department at the beginning of the term also. The
Expenditure at the end of the year was Rs. 40,86,497 and that of the Technical School was
Rs. 1,65,125.
Schools. A new school was opened in Hidd to acenmmrtHa-
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