Page 140 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (I)_Neat

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Education.

Important chonges in the administration of the^tate

Schools have been made during the year.
Previous state of Education. The Government schools,
which previously consisted of one school in Muharrak and

one school in Manamah, were founded about ten years ago
by Shaikh Abdullah bin Iso ol Kholifah, after his return
from hi3 first visit to England. Both schools were
Sunni. Until this year they were nominally under Shaikh

Abdullah's direction, assisted by a Council of Education
consisting of merchants chosen for their wealth rather

than their learning. In practice they were managed
by Haji Yusuf Fakhroo, the Treasurer, and Said Othman
Ilureni, the Syrian headmaster of the Muharrak school.

A sum which finally reached Rs 3370/-, was paid monthly
by the Government to the Treasurer, and no questions were
asked as to education or accounts. Interference by the
Government in school matters was considered impolitic.

Originally about three lacs of rupees were collected
from the public to start the schools. The building of the

Muharrak school was supposed to cost two lues, an incredibly
large amount. Much publicity was given some years ago
in the Egyptian press to the gross mismanagement of pub­

lic money by the Treasurer but nothing was definitely
proved.
Most of the teachers were appointed by the Muharrak
headmaster, who introduced a number of his own relations;

another, member of the Council, the son of the notorious
Shaikh Abdul Tahab Ziayani*, supplied 8 large proportion
of the teachers from his own relations. Nepotism flour­

ished to an extraordinary degree and salaries depended
not on the ability of the teachers but on their friendship
with the headmaster and one or two members of the council*
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