Aiming for Top of the Class
by mahmood on 11/11/09 at 10:18 am
Bahrain has embarked on major educational reform, tailoring the system to meet the needs of the Kingdom’s people and the nation’s economy, seeking to learn from past mistakes and the success of others.
The Kingdom has placed great importance on developing a knowledge-based economy, with education being one of the cornerstones of Vision 2030, the long-term plan spearheaded by the Economic Development Board (EDB) that is guiding the economic future of the country. Unveiled in October 2008, the core objective of Vision 2030 is for Bahrain to develop “a productive, globally competitive economy, shaped by the government and driven by a pioneering private sector” diversified away from a dependency on energy.
In order to achieve this, the state has identified education as key. Vision 2030 acknowledged that, in its present form, “The education system does not yet provide young people with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in our labour market.”
According to His Highness Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s Crown Prince and the chairman of the EDB, one of the great challenges of the 21st century is identifying and investing in the right sort of education to unlock the full potential of every individual.
“In spite of good intentions, increased spending on education often fails to deliver the expected improvements,” he told educationalists attending a conference on October 16. “Too many young men and women – in developed and emerging nations – are thrown into the jobs market without the skills they need to stay afloat in post-industrial, knowledge-based economies.”
A number of steps have already been taken to address this situation, with several others in the pipeline. However, more than just providing a public commitment to improving education and backing that up with high levels of funding, Bahrain has put in place mechanisms to provide a critical analysis of present performance and lay down guiding principles for the future.
One of these steps was the establishment at the end of 2008 of the Quality Assurance Authority for Education and Training (QAAET). A fully independent body, the authority has been assigned the task of reviewing and analysing the performance of educational establishments, national exams, redressing weaknesses and building on strengths at schools and institutions of higher learning.
QAAET’s latest report underscores the need for improvement at many Bahraini schools. The study, released in mid-October found that four out of 20 schools assessed by the authority on the basis of academic achievement, quality of the curriculum, management and overall effectiveness were rated as being inadequate, with none on the four-point scale being found to be outstanding. Five of the schools covered by the report were classed as being good, with the remaining 11 rated as satisfactory.
According to the report, key strengths seen in the schools were the attitude of students, attendance and punctuality, induction programmes and school exam results. The areas most in need of improvement were in differentiation for teaching and learning, development of higher-order thinking skills and the methods of assessment.
According to the authority, the reports it publishes are aimed at encouraging educational and vocational institutions to implement improvement plans that can ensure performance efficiency is levelled to international-quality standards.
Though some of the findings of the reports may be critical, the studies are being seen as a tool to improve performance. Sheikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the prime minister’s court minister, said the latest QAAET report represented part of a complete educational reform process that that showed the country’s determination to establish “a solid base for development”.
Though long a leader in the field of education, having been the first country in the Gulf to introduce a public education system in 1919, Bahrain is looking to retain its position at the forefront of academia. However, having set out the vision for the nation’s future, and possessing the tools to reach those goals, Bahrain has shown itself prepared to benefit from the lessons it has learned and strive for top marks.
