Ministry of Education Hires 2,672 Bahrainis, Reduces Foreign Staff by 986 in Four Years

TDT | Manama

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A parliamentary committee report investigating job nationalization reveals that the Ministry of Education has made significant progress in replacing foreign workers with Bahraini nationals. Between 2020 and 2023, the Ministry employed 2672 Bahraini citizens while simultaneously reducing its foreign workforce by 986 employees.

Currently, 3074 foreign nationals remain employed by the Ministry, primarily as teachers. The Ministry clarified that these foreign teachers fill crucial roles in specialised areas currently lacking Bahraini expertise, including industrial education, French language instruction, and music education. A key challenge highlighted in the report is the reluctance of highly qualified Bahraini graduates, particularly those sponsored by the Ministry for overseas studies, to pursue teaching careers. Many opt for other positions in the public or private sectors instead.

"To address this, the Ministry is actively collaborating with the Bahrain Teachers College to increase its capacity. All new students in the past two academic years have been enrolled in the Bachelor of Education programme to meet the Ministry's immediate needs and accelerate nationalization. The Ministry plans to reopen the Bachelor of Education programme for science, mathematics, Arabic, Islamic studies, and English, increasing student intake in the coming years," the Ministry's response stated.

"A new Bachelor of Science in Education (General Science) programme will also be launched in the 2024-2025 academic year. Further collaboration with the Bahrain Teachers College is underway to develop new teacher training programmes across various subjects," it added. The parliamentary committee recommended a phased plan to replace remaining foreign workers with Bahraini citizens within a specified timeframe.