Page 142 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (I)_Neat

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with impunity. TThen certain irregularities in the accounts
were discovered the Treasurer of the Council resigned. A
regular system of accounts and payments was instituted.
All these changes were very unwelcome to the headmasters
of the schools.
On Jfaid Ramadhan, 1348 without any warning, the head­
masters of Manamah and Muharrak declared a strike of masters
and boys. The students were harangued by the two head-
masters, the schools were closed and for several day3 the
boys paraded about the towns making violent speeches in
the bazaars which they admitted afterwards they had been
taught by their masters, The masters took a solemn oath
that they would stand together and several members of the
Council ^eei^ed were undoubtedly in favour of the strike
and secretly encouraged it. Attempts were made to per-
suade the other schools to join the strike, but without
success.
Shaikh Abdullah immediately sent for the two headmas­
ters to call on him at the Government offices. They
refused to come. Later they sent a long letter making
a number of impossible demands which included requests
that their retention should be guaranteed and that they

should be appointed members of the council, They were
promptly informed in an official letter that until they
returned to their duties none of their demands could be
considered. They refused to go back to work unless every­
thing that they asked for was granted. They were both
dismissed, their selaries were paid, and they were sent
back to their homes in the Lebanon, via lhiscat, Karachi
and Busrah as there happened at the time to be a boat
in the port on its way down the Gulf.
A proclamation was issued closing the two schools for
ten days. The dismissal of the two masters caused

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