Last week legislation was passed that would make education in government schools cost money for non-Bahrainis wishing to attend – BD400 a year to be exact.
This legislation raises some questions.
Firstly, how can the decision ever be justified as something other than singularly sectarian?
The law states that if a non-Bahraini chooses to attend a school that is designed to give free education to Bahraini citizens, they will have to pay a BD400 fee for the privilege of doing so; but why and to whom does the money go?
If the legislation is designed to deter non-Bahrainis from attempting to join a free school on the island then to some extent it probably will, after all BD400 to some is a lot of money, particularly if it has to be paid in one lump sum. So what do those children then do? Education is a right, not a privilege and be it in a free government school on the island or the most expensive one, it is still a basic right of all children.
This legislation will therefore potentially deny that right to some sectors of Bahrain society, working in the country on low wages. So, unable to afford neither government schools nor private schools, parents will be left with no option other than to home school their children, fall prey to the many questionable tutors in the kingdom or make the expensive journey home, where presumably government education for citizens is still free.
What interests me most about this rather unusual decision however is why it is there at all. It must be a relatively big phenomenon in government schools if a money-making opportunity has been identified, but that said, to use children’s education as a means of balancing the books is a little controversial. Paying for something also by its nature assumes quality or at least access to a form of recourse if you are not entirely happy with the product or service.
Would a parent forced to pay this fee be entitled to a refund for example if their child was say bullied or didn’t make satisfactory progress throughout the year? If not then the BD400 is just the ticket price for entry to a child care service.
It seems to be entirely unfeasible to expect immigrant parents to pay for this service when they can receive free health care, a free police service and a free civil defence although perhaps I’m tempting fate and these services will be the next ones to become free to the local population but chargeable for non-nationals. There’s a few dinars to be made there for sure.