Analytical View of Bahrain’s Government Schools’ Performance: A Quality Perspective

Abstract

Since 2005, education in the Kingdom of Bahrain has undergone major reforms as part of the National Education Reform Project to achieve the goals of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030. The Education & Training Quality Authority (BQA) was created by a Royal Decree as an independent entity established that is responsible for ensuring quality in education and training in the Bahrain. The Directorate of Government Schools Review (DGS) is under the umbrella of BQA and responsible for conducting quality reviews for all Bahraini government schools. Upon successfully completing two cycles of school reviews (review cycle average is 4 years), this article compares the findings of two DGS review cycles. In December 2014, the DGS completed its second review of 206 schools. Generally, the results showed an increase in the polarity of the ratings. Analysis of the results showed the following: In terms of schools' environments, it is generally safe with equal infrastructure and learning resources among most schools; the performance gap between male and female students is widening; the field of technical and commercial education still faces challenges; parental involvement is limited, despite opportunities for participation; and available technology is used inconsistently. In addition, some schools that are judged inadequate face increased challenges to improvement.

Findings of quality management studies in primary and secondary education: a systematic literature review

“…Kabouridis and Link (2001) propose a list of guidelines for the design of short courses focusing on adults (such as the identification of the participants' needs and motives, the usage of the appropriate educational environment and modern educational aids). The content of the curriculum should be well-balanced, more vocational (Toremen et al , 2009; Albaker, 2017), school-based (Mosha, 1988; Cheng and Yau, 2011; Cravens et al , 2011) and with well-oriented content (Laurie et al , 2016; Catling, 2017). It should motivate students intrinsically to do and be the best (Pourrajab et al , 2015), providing them with the “right” knowledge (Ibrahim et al , 2017).…”

“…There is a need for providing teaching and learning materials adequately in schools (Nawelwa et al , 2015), since they play a significant role in the level of learning (Kabouridis and Link, 2001). Available technology is used inconsistently sometimes (Albaker, 2017).…”

“…It was supported an absence of strong relationships between teachers and parents (Konidari and Abernot, 2006). Parental involvement is limited (Albaker, 2017) but important in creating a conducive atmosphere for school improvement (Makoelle, 2014) and a better education (Soria-Garcia and Martínez-Lorente, 2014).…”

“…Education for sustainable development or Deming's quality management principles could improve test scores and help achieve other desired outcomes (Laurie et al , 2016), while management by objectives appears statistically insignificant or negative correlated to ancillary measures of student performance (Lindberg and Wilson, 2011). Sexual bias, age, pre-school experience, occupational preferences and location of school affect students' performance (Mosha, 1988; Albaker, 2017).…”

An Analysis of Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Moroccan Secondary School Quality

“…It is commonly acknowledged that a quality education system is essential for social and economic growth, as well as for a country's international competitiveness [23][24][25]. In Morocco, as in other developing countries, there is an ongoing commitment to improving the quality of the education system.…”