Page 105 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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School. Number of Pupils, Number of Staff,
ist Term. 2nd Term. ist Term. 2nd Term.
Hedd Primary 150 200 8 9
Rafa Primary 70 101 6 6
New Primary 170 7 i
Budeya Village 70 go 6 6
Sitra Village 60 go 4 5
Suk al Khamis 70 100 6 6

1.350 1,410 60 70

For the past three years the policy has been to restrict the number of pupils and at the same
time to increase the number of teachers and of classes. The figures below give some indication of
the extent to which this has been carried out during the year 1362. Formerly a complete Primary
School consisted of six grades. In Shawal (October) a seventh was added and the classes renamed,
thus forming three Kindergarten and four Primary grades.
ist Term. 2nd Term.
No. of Boys per class. No. of Boys per class.
Max. Min. Av. Max. Min. Av.
ist Primary 86 30 50 ist K. Garten 40 3i 38
2nd Primary 57 36 43 2nd K. Garten 40 25 35
3rd Primary 32 27 2g 3rd K. Garten 40 25 30
4th Primary 26 16 23 ist Primary 35 25 27
5th Primary 40 21 33 2nd Primary 39 M 27
6th Primary 16 11 14 3rd Primary 21 13 18
4th Primary 15 11 *3
Total Number of classes 28. Total Number of classes 36.
In addition to the New Primary School opened in Manama in Shawal, the Village School of
Rafa has been converted into a Primary School. There are now five of these primary schools as
against three of last year, each following a common syllabus and provided with books for all students
in all subjects. In Shawal (October) General Knowledge, Handwork and Drawing were added to
the curriculum.
Staff. The increase in the number of classes has meant the engagement of ten additional
teachers. Most of these were found locally, six being recruited from the Secondary School. It is
gratifying to report that these young men compare most favourably with local teachers recruited a
few years ago. They lay greater emphasis on understanding than on rote memory and thus produce
quicker and better results.
During the summer holiday the Director visited Jerusalem and Beirut in search of teaching
staff but he was unable to induce anyone to serve in Bahrain as the salaries in their own countries
were so much higher than the Government was willing to pay.
Four of the foreign staff left during the year; two Palestinians and two Syrians. In three
cases the reason was the attraction of better paid jobs in their homeland : the fourth, the Headmaster
of the Secondary School, resigned because of the ill-health of his wife. There are no suitable local
men to replace them.
The Secondary School. There are three forms in the Secondary School. In October
last, at the beginning of the school year very few boys were admitted from the Primary Schools and
promotion within the Secondary School itself was strictly limited. It was possible, in this way, to
raise the standard by one year, the new Form I doing the work of the previous Form II and so on.
The primary education of the present Secondary Schoolboys was. through no fault of their
own. very poor. Their knowledge of Arithmetic did not extend beyond a superficial acquaintance of