Page 326 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (II)_Neat

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The use of the Qur'an as a means of teaching infants to read has been forbidden, and proper
infants' reading-books have been introduced into all the schools. Proper copy-books are now used
for the leaching of handwriting. The use of lead-pencils has been abolished. Slates (owing to the
paper shortage) are used by all the infants' classes, and ink by everyone else.
Heating in the schools has been restricted and regularised, anti is now administered in cases,
of bad conduct alone, never for lack of ability.
A number of well-qualified masters have been engaged, including 7 Palestinians, 3 Syrians,
and several of the belter-educated Bahrainis. Nearly all the classes in the large schools, which
were badly over-crowded, have been divided into two, and no class now contains more, than 30
boys. With better leaching, smaller classes, and modern methods, all the headmasters are finding
that the younger laws are making rapid progress, while the older ones are progressing compara­
tively slowly, owing to their almost complete lack of previous foundation, or grounding. This
slate of allairs was predicted in the Report on (lovernmeni Education in Bahrain, of Septem­
ber, it)3»j, where, it was staled that the full lesults of the policy which it was proposed to introduce
would not be seen until several years had elapsed.
The four village schools of Budayvi’, Rufa’, Sit rah, and Suk al-Khamis have been completely
transformed. A year ago they were simply small mulla schools, containing no books except copies
of the Qur’an, and teaching nothing except Religion, and, at two of the schools, simple Addition
of l'igurcs. lo-day each ol the four schools contains at least two competent teachers and con­
sists of several separate classes, using- proper books and learning Reading, Writing, and Arith­
metic. I he mullas have been retained for the teaching of Religion alone, which is now restricted
to one hour daily, for every boy. The numbers in all four schools have risen steadily. HudayyP
School has been very considerably enlarged, and Rufa' School has added an extra classroom.
Suk al-Khamis and Silrah are in urgent need of smilar extension, which it is hoped to carry
out in the near future. All the village schoolboys have learned to play football.
I he small Ciirls’ School at Rufa’, which was started with a single girl, reached the number
33 pupils before the end of the year, and has now been pul in the charge of female teachers.
Daily physical drill is now given to all boys, in all the schools, and the large schools of
Manamah, Muharraq, and Hidd play organised games, under the instruction of a qualified games-
master. Scouting has been allowed to die a natural death: it had never been carried out on
organised lines.
All the (lovernment schools in the island have now been brought into a thorough slate of
repair. The work has taken a full year to complete.
Manama!) College (Ihe Kullivah) has been opened, and with its inauguration all the Classes
above Class 6 at the other schools were closed down. The other schools are now First and Second
Stage schools only, with the Kullivah the sole Final Stage school. The new Kullivah is designed
to accommodate the pick, intellectually, of all the boys leaving the other schools at the age of
*3 or and not passing on into the Technical School. Its object is to provide higher education
and character-training for those of the Bahrain schoolhovs who are destined later on to become
('overnmenl servants and Government schoolmasters and to obtain employment with commercial
firms. The course is to be one ol three years, and the normal annual entry will be about 33 boys,
making about a hundred when the school is full, 'flu* instruction is given in English, and the
ages of the boys now in the school range from 13 to 13. In spite of their lack of good grounding,
considerable progress has already been made with the education of these specially selected boys.
I lie school contains half-a-dn/cn boarders, which is a new thing for Bahrain. All the boys at the
Kullivah, except 3 who have state scholarships, pay fees for their education.

'file Technical School continues to be a source of satisfaction. Prejudice against entering
it has now been completely broken down; the present small school is full to overflowing, and
there is a long list of applications which runnel be satisfied. Seven fee-paying laws have been sent
to the School from Kuwait, and there are enquiries from other parts of the Gulf. Two new and
well-qualified instructors have been appointed for the Mechanics Section, l>oth Syrians with good
experience, 'flic carpentry Section remains highly efficient and has been turning out really well-
made furniture for the schools, the State Hospital, and for private customers. Towards the end
of the year orders for furniture to the value of over Rs. .|,oix> were received.