Page 34 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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century behind, and, although they do not have to pay for schooling only those who are well oft
can afford to send their children to school. The children of most of the Bahama work in the gardens
or in the fish traps from an early age and when they are old enough to earn money they are sent out
to work.
Staff.—The members of the teaching staff, consisting of Bahrainis, Egyptians, Syrians and
Indians worked well during the year. There were very few cases of failure to conform to school
regulations. Only one serious case occurred in which a fanatical foreign teacher, belonging to Akhwan
al Muslimin, was found to -be spreading political propaganda among the school boys and members
of the clubs. He was sent back to Egypt.
During the summer vacation Mr. Ahmed Al Umran visited Syria, the Lebanon and Egypt
with a view to recruiting teachers for the Bahrain schools. He met with no success in Syria or the
Lebanon, where the shortage of teachers has made it necessary for those Governments to recruit
teachers from outside their countries, but in Cairo the Ministry of Education rendered all possible
assistance. A new batch of teachers was seconded for service in Bahrain to replace the Egyptian
teachers who had completed their four years term of service. The selection of teachers was carried
out by a committee appointed by the Ministry of Education and every effort was made to ensure that
the right type of men were chosen to go abroad. Preference was given to older and senior men. Two
of the new headmasters received part of their education in England and were of a higher educational
calibre than any of their predecessors.

At the beginning of the school year there were 96 teachers in all of whom 32 were foreigners;
these consisted of 22 Egyptians, 5 Syrians, 3 Indians and one Hejazi.
The Bahraini teachers continued to make satisfactory progress and were given all possible
opportunities for improving their methods of teaching. Unfortunately at the end of the term a
number of good teachers resigned in order to take employment with oil companies outside Bahrain
or to work with contractors in Saudi Arabia who paid extremely high wages. In that country only
Saudi Arabian subjects are allowed to undertake contracting work. The majority of the people
there are illiterate therefore they employ educated Arabs from Bahrain who virtually manage the
business although they are nominally employees.
It is fully realised by the Education authorities in Bahrain that it is a matter of the utmost
importance for the future of the country that sound, reliable men should be employed to teach the
youth of Bahrain. Bahrain is at a transitory stage in its history. The people are facing new condi­
tions which are entirely foreign to their principles, modes of life and established traditions. They
are now, in their own country, in close contact with western people and they are more than ever aware
of conditions and opinions in other Arab countries by which they are liable to be influenced. They
have more money than they ever possessed before. They travel, read papers and listen to wireless
news. The infusion of politics into education in several countries in the Middle East has resulted in
catastrophies and has jeopardized the future of the younger generation. This year, for the first
time, the Bahrain schoolboys took an active part in a political demonstration which ended in a riot*
In this particular case it was not surprising that they wished to display their sympathies but it was a
dangerous innovation.
The scheme for training a number of boys from the Secondary School as future school teachers,
which was started in 1366, was continued with satisfactory results. Nine boys, from the first batch,
entered into their second year and at the beginning of the school year another nine boys were added
to the group. After one year's experimental work various improvements were introduced in the
course. The boys do a certain amount of practical work, teaching in classes, under the direct super­
vision of the senior headmasters, and they are given their lessons by the most competent members
of the staff. It is hoped that the best boys from the teachers' training class may be able to attend
summer schools, if suitable courses can be found, in Beirut or in England. The possibility of sending
some of the older Arab teachers to similar courses is also under consideration.
.Higher Education,—A few boys are sent at the expense of the Government to schools or
universities outside Bahrain. Three Bahrain boys are being educated in the Junior School of the