148 schools attacked in Bahrain last year

A total of 148 schools out of 206 in Bahrain came under attack last year and this year, putting an estimated overall damage cost at BD 1.5 million, the Education Ministry revealed. Public Relations and Media Director Fawaz Al-Sherooqi stressed at a press conference today the need to boost social partnership to protect schools from being attacked and raise awareness of the need not to involve them in conflicts. He pointed out an increase in the number of school attacks in the Northern and Central Governorates, adding that 11 schools were attacked and vandalized on February 14 this year. He said the Ministry of Education has coordinated with the Interior Ministry to install CCTV cameras in schools to curb the phenomenon. He reviewed the negative impact of those attacks on the educational process, pointing out a new escalation this year by adopting new tactics like locking the schools gates with chains and padlocks, blocking roads leading to them and preventing teachers and students from getting at the schools by force and threat. Special Education Acting Director Khalid Mahmood Al Saidi spotlighted the psychological and behavioral impact of those incidents on students and their performance. He said the Education Ministry had carried out a remedial scheme to tackle 5200 cases through field visits to classrooms and boosting values of co-existence by raising the number of activities and joint programmes among students. On his part, Organisations and Committees Affairs Director Dr. Abdul Ghani Al-Shewikh spoke about the role of NGOs in protecting the educational establishments, in collaboration with the Education Ministry, underlining the importance of mass media in raising awareness of the need to stop aggressions on schools. Acting Secretary General of Bahrain National Commission for Education, Science and Culture Ghazi Al-Marzooq condemned the subversive acts which, he said, contravene international laws and conventions.