Page 35 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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Beirut University, the results which they achieved were, on the whole, satisfactory. Another boy,
who previously held a British Council scholarship at Beirut but lost it owing to failing in an exam-
ination, was sent back to Beirut at Government expense. He succeeded in passing his examination
in September 1948, his major course being Chemistry. Shaikh Hamad, son of Shaikh Mohomed bin
Isa Alkhalifah, entered Stanford University, California, with a view to obtaining a degree, he had
previously been at Beirut University. It is proposed that two or three more boys from the Secondary
School will be sent to Beirut at the beginning of the next university year. In addition to the Govern­
ment students several local merchants have sent their sons to Beirut.
Secondary School.—For the first time in the history of the Bahrain school, leaving certificates
were given to a number of boys who had successfully completed their four years in the Secondary
School. At the beginning of the new school year there were 122 boys in the Secondary School which
was 34 more than in the previous year. Mr. Mohomed Hadi Asal, a senior Egyptian master with 20
years teaching experience, took charge of the school and the Teachers' Training Class. The school
consisted of four grades but as there were 52 boys irt the lowest grade this class was sub-divided into
two. The boys in this school are aged from about 14 to 18, which is a difficult age. Every effort
has been made not only to keep the students hard at work while at school but also to provide them
with occupations out of school hours, in addition to games and preparation for lessons they are
encouraged to work on their own, reading, looking up references, drawing, painting and modelling.
In the last two subjects some of the students have produced high class original work. The boys who
pass out from the top class of the Secondary School have in most cases been at school for ten or eleven,
years, they are the finished product of the present educational system. It has been found by the
Government that their capabilities are far ahead of those of the boys who used to be recruited for
Government service from the schools before they had completed the four years Secondary School
course. The demand for educated young Arabs in Government departments, on the education staff,
in oil companies and in commercial firms is far greater than the supply. Any boy with a Secondary
School certificate knows that he can find employment immediately, but boys who have not com­
pleted their Secondary School education, who were in the Primary Schools, not necessarily in the top
classes, are equally able to obtain employment especially outside Bahrain. For this reason many
boys leave school in order to earn money before they complete their education. If they know a little
English and some Arithmetic they appear to be able to find highly paid jobs in Saudi Arabia. A
large proportion of the boys who are being educated, freely, by the Government in Bahrain leave
their country, where they are needed, and work for foreign contractors in another land.
School Hostel.—During 1366/1367 the following boarders lived in the hpstel,
Boys attending Secondary School....................... 18
Technical School....................... 13'*
it 11
„ Primary Schools....................... 13
„ Teachers’ Training class (from
villages).................................. 9

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In addition the hostel provided midday meals for 37 pupils and 17 masters and mistresses who attended
or worked in the Manama Schools but lived in other towns or villages. At the beginning of the new
term (October 1948) arrangements were made for a number of the foreign staff to have meals at the
hostel, on payment. This was convenient for the teachers as many of them worked in the neighbour­
ing schools in the afternoon. The hostel continued to be a centre for educational meetings, cinema
shows and various school activities.
Primary Schools.—The four existing schools functioned satisfactorily. The standard of
teaching has improved particularly since the system was introduced by which all boys in the Primary
Schools sat for the same examination which was prepared and supervised by the central Education
Department. The opening of a Kindergarten School in Muharraq, which was the first step towards-
separating Kindergarten classes and primary school classes, proved a success. The Kindergarten