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For weeks now, many parents in Bahrain have been reminded of a role they had hoped was behind them: helping to manage the school day from home.
The shift to online learning during the current crisis was necessary and swift. The Ministry of Education moved quickly to keep education going, and schools across the country adapted. But once lessons moved from the classroom to the living room, the burden did not fall on schools alone. It also fell on families.
A child attending class from home is not simply a child using a screen. The setting is different, the distractions are different, and the rhythm of learning changes. The boundary between school and home becomes harder to maintain, and many parents suddenly find themselves acting as teacher, IT support, timekeeper and disciplinarian, often while carrying their own worries about the wider situation.
None of this means the system has failed. It means the situation has changed, and families have had to adapt quickly. What makes the difference at home is not perfection. It is structure.
Children need routine even more when daily life feels unsettled. A fixed start time, a quiet place to sit, even if it is only one corner of a room, and a clear distinction between lesson time and free time all help restore a sense of order. The routine does not need to be ideal. It needs to be consistent.
Presence matters too, especially for younger children. A parent sitting nearby during an online class is not interfering. It is a form of support. Children focus better when they know someone is available to help them stay on track.
There is also the challenge of the screen itself. For many children, the same device used for lessons is also used for games, videos and social media. That makes concentration harder. The more clearly learning time is separated from entertainment time, the easier it becomes for children to shift from one mode to the other.
And then there is patience. Teachers are adjusting. Parents are adjusting. Children are adjusting. Technology will not always cooperate. Some lessons will go smoothly, and some will not. That is not exceptional. It is part of the reality of learning under pressure.
What matters most right now is not whether every lesson is delivered perfectly. It is whether children keep learning, stay connected to their schools, and feel that education continues even when ordinary routines are disrupted.
The Ministry of Education has done its part by keeping the system running. Schools have done theirs by adapting. What families are doing at home is the part that makes all of this work.
Across Bahrain, thousands of parents have taken on that role quietly, without training and without much recognition.
They deserve more credit than they are getting.
Dr Ali Mohamed
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