'Adminisistration [Administration] Reports 1931-1935' [‎37r] (73/416)

building which has many large class rooms and verandahs. The balance has been
kept as an endowment fund. It is run by a board of Trustees and its income,is
derived from fees taken from pupils, who pay the small sum of Rs. 3 per mensem
and from the endowment fund. There is a Headmaster and six assistant masters,
and the pupils number about 250 boys. The curriculum includes the Qoran,
Traditions, common law, ethics reading, composition and grammer, arithmetic,
geography, history and English.
It is thus far advanced from the usual “ Mulla ” school, but even so does not
pretend to give more than a primary education.
The third (c) was founded in the autumn of 1921 under the auspices of the
Muslim Benevolent Association with the assistance of the present Ruler, after whom
it is named.
It has its own board of Trustees and derives its income from fees anddrom
annual contributions from benevolent residents. It has 7 masters and 165 boys.
Its curriculum follows that of the Mubarakiyeh school (b) but it is planned to turn
it into a Secondary School if necessary money is forthcoming.
There is fourth superior school an “ Orphanage ” for orphans and other poor
boys. It is entirely supported by wealthy Pearl merchants. It has 6 masters
and 165 boys. It teaches the usual Qoranic branches with a little history and
arhitmetic.
The Persian Schools which teach writing and arithmetic, in addition to the
Qoran, are 3 in number. The remaining 8 others only teach the Qoran.
The lack of a good higher education in the Town compels those who have
ambitions for their boys, to send them abroad.
At present the American College at Beyrout fills the necessary gap, but there
are signs that Baghdad will take the place of the latter shortly. India is not
popular with Arabs. And the future should be between Baghdad and England
for the super ambitious.
The youngest son of the late Shaikh Salim of Kuwait, Shaikh Fahad, as-Salim
(by a negro mother) proceeded to Beyrout to attend the College in December 1930
and is still there.
This latest recruit bring the number of students, from the Shaikhly house of
Kuwait, who are studying at the Beyrout College to three.
They being—
[а) The two sons of the late Shaikh Salim as-Subah.
(б) The youngest son but one of the present Ruler.
{d) The Gandhi Campaign in India. —The activities of Congress, the Round
Table Conference and the later surrender of Mr. Gandhi to the extremists, as
evinced by the latest Civil Disobedience Campaign in India, have all been closely
watched by the people of Kuwait who see in them many of the causes of their
ruined Pearl Trade.
While earlier attempts of the Government of India to meet the situation by
concihatory measures, were looked upon as so much “ madnessand proved
according to most Arabs, the complete inability of the English to understand
the Eastern mind, the later and present strong policy is everywhere praised.
The Arab who above all prides himself on being a virile and hard-headed man
has not in the least been able to understand Englishmen dealing leniently with Law
breakers. “ Put a Bin Sand in India, or any Arab Ruler for that matter, with the
strength behind him which Great Britain possesses in India, and see what will
happen ” is a common remark, and one made to the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. on several occasions.
Another one runs as follows :—“ The common people must not be allowed to get
out of hand, and talk big in any Eastern Country or else the inevitable will happen
and the Ruler will get eaten up ”.
The Arabs sympathies, certainly in Kuwait are of course on the side of the
British, and they are never tired of saying that Muslim opinion will always side
with the Administrators of Law and Order. The Qoranic precept that a good
Muslim should “ obey God and the Ruler who he has put in authority over him ”
is frequently quoted, as showing that Muslims in India must side with the autho
rities.
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