Why should Co-education be adapted in the public schooling system in Bahrain?
Co-education is a modern phenomenon applied in most of the developed countries such as The United States of America, England and Singapore. Unfortunately, the Middle Eastern countries have neglected this significant aspect in education which could lead to a better and more eligible lifestyle for our students. The authorities concerned in the Ministry of Education in the kingdom of Bahrain should consider applying this highly sufficient system in public schools.
According to Al Hamad(2002), The beginning of education in Bahrain was introduced in 1893, when the American Mission established a school affiliated with the American Hospital to teach Arabic and English. Al-Hedaya Al-khalifiya was the first boys’ school to open in Bahrain and in the Middle East in 1919. Ten years later, Khadija Al Kobra Girls School opened in Al Muharraq. The first co-educational institution in Bahrain was established in 1968 and was called “The Gulf College for Technology”. After that, the Gulf University was established in 1984. In the years 1984-1985 the total number of private educational institutions that applied co-education reached 88, consisting of 26 schools, 44 kindergartens and 18 institutes. To sum up, co-education is applied in all private schools in Bahrain except for a few where education is segregated between the two genders, while the co-educational system prevails at university levels across private and public institutions.
During the past decade, many parties have argued over this issue and whether if it is beneficiary for our students or the opposite. On the one hand, a few conservative parties argue that the co-educational system has a negative impact on students as it will bring vulgarity and obscenity to our conservative society. They claim that today’s youngsters are blind ethically and it is highly risky to teach them under the same roof....