General Information

• Compulsory Education
  Education in Bahrain is compulsory, and all the school age children attend either in public or private schools. Severely retarded children attend special institutions as mentioned in Special Education.
  
  
• Free Education
  The Ministry of education in Bahrain provides free education for all Bahraini and non-Bahraini students in public schools.
  
  
• Coeducation
  Education in public schools is not coeducation; i.e. there are separated schools for boys and others for girls comprise students, teaching and administrative staff of same sex. But there are some public boys primary schools where the teaching and administrative staff are females. Coeducation is applied in private schools, although few of them have separated schools for boys and girls. Coeducation is also applied at the university level in Bahrain.
  
  
• Textbooks
  The Directorate of Curricula at the Ministry of Education provides textbooks in every subject for all students in public schools free of charge at the beginning of each academic year. Textbooks are generally written locally by curricula specialists and university faculties in Bahrain. They are printed and produced locally at the government, commercial or Educational Technology Center press. The textbooks for private education are determined by each private school that complies with the Ministry's criteria.
  
  
• School Cafeterias
  The Ministry provides a cafeteria in each school. Foodstuffs that agree with the specification set up by the Ministry of Education with the cooperation of the Ministry of Health are sold. Food is prepared and sold by contractors (tradesmen and restaurant owners). The school cafeterias supervision committee at the Ministry of Education is in charge of supervising the school cafeterias commitment towards the health conditions; coordinating with the different school administration the matters related to the implementation of the system of entrusting the school cafeterias to contractors; and ascertaining that both the school administration and contractors do not sell prohibited food and drink.
  
  
• Transportation
  The Ministry provides free transportation for the students living far away from their schools and who do not have their own transport. The Ministry determines points for student gathering and specific time for bus movement. Some private schools provide charged transportation for their students. Higher education institutions are also providing transportation for their students who live in distance areas.