'File 4/13 IV Kuwait Education' [‎230r] (461/762)

D.O.NO.j^} -43/9
TW POLITICAL A(?FNC V ,
KtT'AIT.
(2?°y
Th<» l?tb February, 1048.
Subject:
My Dear Sir Rupert,
No # S44*S dated the
local Education and the Kuwait Oil CoTruary »
Please refer to your deirl-official letter
P7th January, 1^48•
2 # I flrd It impossible to disagree with
Hlghwood^ rraln contention - that the oil com'antes must
encourage and assist the Kuwaltles to raise their general trend
of education, and am fairly certain that the opinion expressed
by a "Senior member of the Company" Is not that of the Kuwait
Oil Company Itself. This being so It does not s^em that any
further comment on Hlmhwood’s first four paragraphs is n^c^asary
3. Again I agree generally with 'iiphwood*s
fifth paragraph. The only way in which the emplovment policy
of the Compary may hav® conflicted with the alms of the
Fducational authorities is that boys have tended to leave school
to take up employment with the Company before they have finished
their secondary school course. The schoolmasters dislike this
as it leads to excessive depletion of the higher classes of
the Secondary schoolj but the Shaikh, on the 'other hand is
highly in favour of it. He considers that education need
proceed oo further than is required to fit a hoy to earn a
living and be of some use to the company or to the merchant
community. This point of view coincides so closely with that
held by the boys, their parents, the merchant community , and
(at any rate during their present expansion) the company, that
I thinV it would be pointless at present for His Majesty*s
Government to enter the arena on the side of the schoolmasters.
Should the number of boys leaving school become larre enough
the company might be asked to consider ma! ing arrangements for
their part-time Fducatlon % up to school-leaving age while they
are working for the company.
4. I have not discussed Highwood*s
recommendations with the local representatives of the Company
but I believe that they do emrioy welfare officers who attend
to the needs in this direction of all "Junior Staff" both
Kuwaiti and Indian. I doubt if this is being done for the
labourers• 5
5. Tbe energies of the company are so
concentrated on their expansion programme that matters of this
nature are inclined to be pushed into the background but it is
mv impression that the company intend to do everything within
their power/—
The Hon'bl* Sir Rupert Hay,BCIF•,CSI•,
political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
Bahrain.