MORE money could be pumped into Bahrain’s oldest and biggest university to help it accommodate the increasing number of students, after concerns were expressed about the ‘overcrowded’ status of the campus.
MPs and municipal councillors are planning to set aside a higher budget for Bahrain University as it prepares to resume in-person education following a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The National Assembly approved an operational budget of around BD40 million per year for 2021 and 2022, while BD3.2m was set aside for both years to carry out expansion projects.
There are more than 28,000 students registered at the university, which was established in 1986 as the first public university.
This excludes around 10,200 freshmen who achieved a grade point average of 70 per cent or more in school and have been accepted into the university.
It also excludes students who are expected to graduate from the university following the conclusion of the summer semester.
The university’s main campus is in Sakhir, while its Engineering College is located at the Bahrain Polytechnic in Isa Town.
“The number of students going to Bahrain University is huge, it has been more than the normal capacity for the past 10 to 15 years,” said Sakhir MP Bader Al Dossary.
“It is good that the government is keen on getting more Bahrainis to go for higher education under subsidised rates, but the current facilities and lecture rooms are overcrowded,” he added.
“The university is cramming large numbers of students into one lecture hall, the facilities are saturated, and there is not enough car parking.”
Mr Al Dossary said the university has made surplus income, like other educational institutions which switched to online educating during the pandemic, and this could be used towards funding new buildings, equipment and introduction of programmes.
Complaints
“Newly-elected MPs and municipal councillors will work to get more financing for the university with it being a vital educational nerve that supplies the labour market with qualified Bahrainis,” he said.
In 2017, the Southern Municipal Council threatened to stop enrolment at Bahrain’s two public universities if multi-storey car parks were not provided.
The council said it is regularly bombarded during term-time with complaints of congestion around the Sakhir campus and the shared facilities with Bahrain Polytechnic at the Isa Town campus.
The council’s services and public utilities committee chairman Abdulla Abdullatif said the university should draw up a five-year plan of its needs and goals.
“Most of the buildings at the university are crammed in one area, while there are vast spaces that could be used for a massive expansion to match the thousands of students enrolled there,” he said.
“It is true that multiple private universities have been licensed, but Bahrain University remains the best option for many families, who can’t afford paying thousands of dinars.
“We have asked for a comprehensive plan from the university on what it needs and what it aims to achieve; hopefully, we can work together towards a better future.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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