At the beginning of the twentieth century, Quranic schools (Kuttab) were the only form of education in Bahrain. They were traditional schools aimed at teaching children and youth the reading of the Qur'an. After the First World War, Bahrain became open to western influences and a demand for modern educational institutions appeared.
1919 marked the beginning of modern public school system in Bahrain when Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia School for boys was opened in Muharraq. In 1926, the Education Committee opened the second public school for boys in Manama and in 1928 the first public school for girls was opened in Muharraq.
In 2004 King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa introduced a project that uses information communication technology (ICT) to support Kâ12 education in Bahrain. This project is named King Hamad Schools of Future. The objective of this project is to connect and link all schools within the kingdom with the internet.
In addition to British intermediate schools, the island is served by the Bahrain School (BS). The BS is a United States Department of Defense school that provides a K-12 curriculum including International Baccalaureate offerings.
Private schools also exist that offer either the IB Diploma Programme or UK A-Levels. In 2007, St Christopher's School Bahrain became the first school in Bahrain to offer a choice of IB or A-Levels for students. The British School of Bahrain was listed by The Times newspaper as being one of the top 10 schools outside the United Kingdom.
Numerous international educational institutions and schools have established links to Bahrain. A few prominent institutions are DePaul University, Bentley College, and NYIT.
See also: List of universities in Bahrain
Schooling is paid for by the government, and, although not compulsory, primary and secondary attendance rates are high. Bahrain also encourages institutions of higher learning, drawing on expatriate talent and the increasing pool of Bahrain Nationals returning from abroad with advanced degrees. The University of Bahrain has been established for standard undergraduate and graduate study, and the College of Health Sciences â operating under the direction of the Ministry of Health â trains physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics. The national action charter, passed in 2001, paved the way for the formation of private universities. The first private university was Ahlia University, situated in Manama. The University of London External has appointed MCG as the regional representative office in Bahrain for distance learning programs. MCG is one of the oldest private institutes in the country.
Asian institutes have also been opened which educate to Asian students, such as the Pakistan Urdu School. The Indian School, Bahrain and the New Indian School, Bahrain is an Indian institution for children whose parents are expatriates in Bahrain from India.
