Page 242 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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boys living in their own homes. The thirty boarders consisted of 14 boys from the Secondary School,
10 from the Technical School, four from Primary Schools and two from outside Bahrain. The fees
which arc paid by the parents, though some of the boys are accepted free, only cover a very small
proportion of the cost of the establishment.
The public rooms in the hostel were used during the term for educational meetings, cinema
shows, lectures and various school activities. The games room was improved during the year and the
library was well stocked with English and Arabic periodicals.
Primary Schools.—The schools were all full during the year but the average age was lower
than in the past. In Muharraq the infant section was again divided in order to accommodate more
boys. The need now exists for a second school in Muharraq. The standard in the primary schools
compares well with similar schools in Egypt and Iraq. The best of these schools is the Manamah
West School, which was built as a school and contains sufficient rooms to provide a reading room.
school hall and stage and a room for kindergarten work.
Village Schools.—The standard in the village schools is lower than in the town schools.
Where possible teachers from the towns go daily to work in the villages but lack of transport has made
this arrangement difficult to carry out. It is found that town masters will not consent to live in the
country, even in such places as Rafaa, and local village teachers arc too old to have benefited by
the educational facilities which now exist. There has been an improvement in the general health of
the boys since the Government issued a daily ration of bread to all boys in the village schools and also
provided free hair cutting and a free issue of soap. Village boys used not to know how to play
together, they now join in football and other games in the same way as the boys in the towns.
There was an interesting development at Budeya. The people at this village, on the coast,
made a great deal of money during the war. Apparently the parents of the boys appreciated the
value of education more than in other places and a number of them asked whether they could be
given lessons in the school. Night classes were organised for grown up people who were given lessons
in reading, writing and arithmetic.
Equipment.—The end of the war did not result in making the import of supplies easier than
before and it was only by rigorous economy that books, stationery and other school materials were
made to suffice. The British Council gave valuable help by purchasing and supplying to the Govern­
ment much needed supplies of school books, chalks and exercise books. Books printed during the war
were made of inferior paper with inadequate binding which did not last long in the hands of the boys.
New furniture which was bought locally or made to order was of poor quality, owing to the absence of
good wood, and at the same time it was extremely expensive. When it becomes possible it is
proposed to open a small laboratory in the Secondary School for teaching elementary science.
Extra Mural Activities.—Nearly a hundred boys and masters spent four days in camp at
Safra, beyond West Rafaa, during the half term holidays. The camp was a success and enabled the
boys from different schools to meet each other. The boys themselves made the camp and did the
work and the cooking.
In April the schools held sports on the fort parade ground, the Navy, Army, R.A.F. and State
Police took part with the schoolboys in various events. Later in the year there was an inter-school
sports meeting and a display of physical training. The Egyptian physical training instructor and
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the athletic instructors in the town schools were mainly responsible for the success of these events.
In spite of transport difficulties parties of schoolboys were taken to visit places of interest in the
islands such as the oil-fields and the R.A.F. camps. The people of Bahrain are extremely insular.
A few years ago it was no uncommon thing to find people who had lived all their lives in Manamah
who had never been to Muharraq.

'The library in the hostel which was opened in 1363 was kept well supplied with books and
periodicals and was much used by schoolboys and teachers.

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