Manama: The education ministry has rejected accusations that it had failed to meet the infrastructure requirements at schools for the new academic year.
Reacting to media reports that schools were not ready to accommodate students as they returned to classes on Sunday, the ministry insisted that it had taken all necessary measures to ensure a smooth start for the 126,000 students in the 204 schools under its control.
Defence
"We have recruited the staff we need. We have also made substantial efforts to repair the buildings and the facilities to help the students feel comfortable at school," the ministry said in a statement. "Various task forces have been working since early this year, and their efforts can easily be reflected in all schools."
Media reports, quoting parents, on Sunday criticised the ministry for its alleged mismanagement of staff and facilities, saying that some schools were not ready to accommodate students.
"One school in Muharraq had an acute shortage of staff with only three Arabic teachers reporting to work," complained a parent. "The air-conditioners were not working and some students had to be sent home due to the unbearable heat," said another.
"Some of the tables and chairs were broken and a member of the faculty turned his office into a workshop to repair them," another parent claimed.
However, the ministry insisted that while it could not claim perfection, it had stood up to the challenges.
"Several people simply do not want to see the full picture. Slight problems such as a broken table or a defective air-conditioner should not obscure the tremendous efforts that several teams have exerted," it said.
The ministry also came under fire after it decided days before the start of the new academic year to transfer students from the school in their hometown to schools in neighbouring towns.
The decision to move the girls to schools 10 kilometres away, from Hamad Town to Eisa Town, has sparked a furore among parents.
Mohammad Khalid, the member of Parliament for the area, has threatened to picket in front of the ministry, claiming that the transfer decision was made under the influence of other MPs, who wanted residents of their own area to study in Hamad Town.
By Habib Toumi, Bahrain Bureau Chief