Page 175 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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11. The Director paid a visit to Kuwait in April (Robia al Awwal).
12. Finance.
There was a further increase in expenditure for the year 1363 of Rs. 60.000 making a total
of Rs. 2,10.000.
Estimated. Actual.
Rs. Rs.
Salaries .. 1,20,500 1.29.500
Hostel...................................... 12,000 12,000
Expansion and Higher Educa­
tion 28,500 20,000
Equipment 49,000 -18,500
Total Rs. .. 2,10,000 Rs. 2,10.000

The average expenditure per boy per annum in 1363 was Rs. 142-5 compared with Rs. 106-6
for 1362.
GOVERNMENT GIRLS’ SCHOOLS.
[Report by Mrs. Belgrave, Directress of Female Education.)
The progress in the Girls’ Schools was very definite this year. In all the Schools additional
classes were added in the Junior and Kindergarten sections and both in Hedd and Rafaa the number
of girls attending school was twice as many as during the previous year. Owing to the present
difficulties in building no new class rooms or schools were made but in Muharraq a room which was
not previously used was converted into a class room and at Hedd and Muharraq large barastis were
put up in the school compounds and used as class rooms. When the war is over and building becomes
possible all the schools will require enlarging as in spite of temporary expedients a number of girls
who wanted to attend the schools were turned away because there was no room and not enough
teachers to cope with still more classes.
Almost all the girls who took their school leaving certificates at the end of the term were
taken on as teachers but more teachers than emerge from the schools are required to provide for the
increasing demand for education. A new school was opened in Manama in the Shia quarter close
to the Municipal Garden. The Government rented from the Minors’ Department a large Arab
style house which was wakf for the descendants of Abdu Ali bin Rajab, at one time a leading pearl
merchant. Repairs and alterations were carried out and the building was made into an excellent
school with a number of light airy class rooms. The new school opened two months after the beginning
of term and in a very short time over two hundred girls were attending it, a large percentage of them
were Bahama, many of them from the leading Shia families who in the past have been rather backward i
in sending their girls to school.
The teaching staff was increased during the year. Mrs. Sawaf, who was for several years
the Headmistress of the Muharraq school, was made Inspectress of Girls’ Schools ; three new Syrian =
teachers were obtained from Syria and ten new local teachers were engaged bringing the number :
of the teaching staff up to 50. In Manama and Muharraq schools Syrian teachers were appointed as
headmistresses and second mistresses but the headmistress of the new Manama school was a Bahrain : i
girl who was trained at British Syrian Training College in Beyrout. Owing to the difficulties over
travelling under war conditions no Bahrain girls can be sent to Syria to study teaching at present
but it is hoped that when the war is over more Bahrain girls will be able to go for training abroad.
There used to be a very great difference in the standard of the various schools. A great effort
was made this term to bring all the schools as far as possible up to the same standard so that girls
moving from one place to another could enter the same classes in any of the Government schools.
It is the customs in Bahrain for families who can afford to do so to move from Muharraq to Manama
in the summer and the children attend the schools in whichever town they are living.