Page 173 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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5. The Primary Schools.
A fourth class was added to the New School, Manama, in October thus completing the primary
section. In the West School, Manama, and at Muharraq it was found necessary to make still further
divisions in the Infant School in order to accommodate the new boys. The plan for opening a
second school in Muharraq somewhere in the town itself had to be postponed owing to the lack of
staff and the difficulty of finding a suitable building.
All the Primary Schools arc now up to the standard of the Egyptian Schools.

6. Tho Village Schools.
Great improvement has been made in the Khamis School where particular attention has
been paid to health and cleanliness. Every boy is made to wash once a day and to bath once a
week in the spring near the school.

The ban on head-robes during school hours has brought about a very great improvement.
Cases of sore heads, instead of being universal arc now very rare indeed. This is true of all schools.
Bread is provided daily for all village children with a resultant improvement in physique and school
work. The striking feature of village school boys a few years ago was a listlessness—a complete
lack of interest in life. This has now changed. Village boys can be seen—and heard—running
round between lessons laughing and singing or having a lively tusscl in the playground. This is
true of Khamis, Budayya and Rufa but not as yet of Sitra.

7. Medical.
A doctor could not be spared this year for the schools but regular supplies of medicines were
provided. In March 1944, (Robia al Awwal 1363) a thorough examination of eyes was made in the
town schools. The results showed that 78 per cent, of the pupils were suffering from Trachoma
in one stage or another. Under present conditions it would be impossible to treat all these cases,
but during the summer holiday special arrangements were made for 38 boys, whom the Doctor thought
would respond to treatment, to attend the Hostel daily for three months. Beds were provided so
that after treatment the patients could rest if they wished. 24 attended regularly with marked
improvement in most cases.

In the Autumn there was a serious epidemic of acute conjunctivitis. In some schools as
many as 50 per cent, of the pupils suffered from it and many lost the sight of one eye while several
mostly villagers, were left blind. It was difficult to take any steps to alleviate the trouble as the
cure is continual irrigation and as soon as a boy was infected he remained in his home.

8. Equipment.
It is unfortunate that the time when the schools have reached the point where expansion
is essential should occur when difficulties in obtaining equipment are at a maximum. It has only
been possible to keep the present number of pupils supplied with the minimum requisite materials
by exercising the most rigid economy over a long period. It is now two years since we received our
last supply of paper, chalk and other essentials. Paper is the main problem. Neither India nor the
United Kingdom can supply us. Slates are used in all classes but their usefulness is limited, especially
in the higher forms. The stock of chalk is also very low but supplies, adequate until the end of the
term, have been obtained from Kuwait and the British Council in Cairo.
Text books are more easy to obtain but they are very expensive and very poorly bound and
therefore do not last very long. Each boy must rebind any books that he wishes to take home
for studying.
Furniture made locally is still obtainable but is of poor quality and high in price. It would
have been possible, before the war, to furnish all the schools completely with the most modern
equipment for less than was spent on the few additions made in the past year.