2011 Bahrain Country Commercial Guide - US - Export.gov

Education and Training
Overview Return to top
Regionally, Bahrain has been a leader in the field of education, dating back to 1919
when it was the first country in the Gulf to establish a system of formal education. In
2009, Bahrain had a 91.7 percent literacy rate among Bahraini males and an 89.4
percent literacy rate among females, yielding a national literacy rate of 90.8 percent, the
highest in the region. The 2011 United Nation Development Program‘s (UNDP) Human
Development Report reported Bahrain as the most developed Arab state with a literacy
rate of 91.4 percent, higher than the GCC literacy rate of 86.7 percent. The issue of
education has been crucial for Bahrain since independence. State spending on
education is $882.1 million, representing 9.4 percent of the entire $9.82 billion state
budget for 2011-2012. Ministry of Education employees account for approximately 28
percent of all government employees.
Rising demand has led to deficiencies in the state school system. Most parents who can
afford to do so send their children to private schools. A U.S. Department of Defenseaffiliated
school and a number of private schools offer education in English with an
American-style curriculum.
Bahrain is home to three public universities and a number of private universities
including the Royal College of Surgeons, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT;
scheduled to close in 2014), Open University, AMA International, Delmon, The Kingdom,
Applied Sciences and a number of educational institutions associated with the Bahrain
Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) (see Chapter 6: U.S. Investments in Bahrain).
Bahrain has a wide range of public and private training centers that concentrate on the
technical, financial and tourism sectors.
As part of the 2030 Economic Vision to promote human development, the Government
established Bahrain Polytechnic University. Established in 2008, it has become one of
the most popular universities in Bahrain and is evolving into a scientific research center.
Best Prospects Return to top
Growth in the education sector is driven primarily by the establishment of new private
universities, which the Government supports in order to promote private higher
education in Bahrain.
The Crown Prince and BDF Commander-in-Chief launched a national reform initiative in
2004 that is aimed at creating a new economic, labor, education and training vision for
the Kingdom. The Government of Bahrain is seeking to establish Bahrain as a regional
center for human resource development. Bahrain has over 50 training institutes that
offer training in a variety of areas such as hospitality, information technology, business
studies, English language studies, and banking. Specialist-training institutions include
the Gulf College of Hospitality and Tourism, the Bahrain International College of Health
& Beauty, the Regional Institute of Advertising & Marketing, and the Bahrain Institute of
Banking & Finance. Major training institutes include the Bahrain Institute for Banking and
Finance (BIBF), Bahrain Training Institute (BTI), KPMG, and the British Council.
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