"(ملف 19/248 I (C 78 التعليم في البحرين" [و‎‎١‎٠] (٤٩٤/٣٤)

- 4- \0
responsible Iraqis will tell one with pride how such youths must,
inevitably carry back to t heir own countries the "progressive"
ideas of Iraq, and with them the determination to "improve" ti^e
existing states of affairs there. I think you know all about
the four young Yemenis, who, after a brief course at the Bagdad
military College, returned hoi.ie v;earing their schoolboy unifroms
and raised the tribes against their own Imam. At Bahrain you
have had your own troubles, which you Lave traced to Iraq; an;"
you probably know that the wretched man who had to be executed
at Kuwait was a perfectly harmless individual until he came under
Iraqi influence. I am sure I need not labour this point about
the danger from Iraq, because I know that you realise it, and
I am sure the Political Agents do too.
II Very well, then, it seems to be almost suicidally dangerous
to allow the young men of the Gulf to leave home in search of
education. At the same time it would surely be indefensible to
try to prevent their exit, so long as the higher educational
facilities which they seek are not to be found in the Gulf
itself. The obvious answer is - provide them I Put up, at
Bahrain, a Miyher College, or sort of Lov.er University, under
British direction, ith boarding facilities, a partly British
staff, and really first-class teaching. Call it the Gulf College,i
or some such name, and take into it all the more intelligent Gulf
boys who have got as far as their local schools can take them,
and are asking for more; and as many Trucial Coast, Saudi-Arabian, |
H^andhramauti,, Yemeni, etc. boys as can be induced to come, fcr
higher education, or for education ab initio . Do not try any
thing very pretentious, or very expensive, to b gin with, but
build up in such a way as to permit of expansion later. Provide
the very best teaching obtainable, and get the help of a 11 the
Political people in the neighbouring states in persuading .Rulers
to send their boys and young men to Bahrain., instead of to Iraa
or elsewhere. British educational prestige in the East, even
in Iraq^, is still miles above that of any other country, and I
feel quite sure that before very long Vve should succeed in our
object/