A proposed amendment to Bahrain’s Child Law aimed at strengthening oversight of nurseries and early childhood facilities will come under the spotlight in the Shura Council on Sunday.
The upper chamber’s woman and child affairs committee has recommended rejecting the proposed amendments, arguing that the objectives of the draft law have already been addressed under the newly enacted Private Educational Institutions Law.
The legislation, which seeks to amend certain provisions of the Child Law issued under Law No 37 of 2012, was prepared based on a proposal submitted by the Shura Council and later revised.
Despite the committee’s recommendation, the matter will be debated and voted on during Sunday’s weekly session. It has been already approved unanimously by Parliament.
The draft law consists of four articles and aims to clarify the legal framework governing the licensing and operation of nurseries and early childhood institutions.
It proposes amendments to Article 63 of the Child Law to better define the offences and penalties related to operating or managing nurseries without proper authorisation. It also introduces new provisions to ensure that certain activities – such as establishing, managing, relocating or modifying nurseries – cannot take place without obtaining the required licence or approval from the relevant authority.
In addition, the legislation seeks to update legal terminology in the Child Law by replacing outdated terms relating to people with disabilities with more rights-based language.
During its review, the woman and child affairs committee held three meetings between February 1 and March 8 and consulted officials from the Education Ministry and legislative advisers.
However, while the proposal initially received support from the ministry, the legislative landscape changed after the issuance of the Private Educational Institutions Law No 4 of 2026 on January 28.
Under the new law, early childhood education institutions – including nurseries and kindergartens – are formally classified as private educational institutions and brought under a unified regulatory framework.
Committee vice-chairwoman Ejlal Bubshait said the panel carefully evaluated the impact of the new legislation on the draft amendments.
“During the course of our discussions it became clear that the newly enacted Private Educational Institutions Law has already introduced a comprehensive legal framework governing nurseries, their licensing procedures and the penalties associated with violations.”
Education Minister Dr Mohammed Mubarak Juma also highlighted the significance of the new legal framework for the sector.
“The Private Educational Institutions Law establishes a comprehensive regulatory system that covers all forms of private education, including early childhood institutions such as nurseries and kindergartens,” he said.
“It provides clear licensing requirements, regulatory procedures and penalties for violations, which together ensure better governance and higher quality standards across the sector.”
Dr Juma noted that incorporating nurseries into the broader education framework was a key step in strengthening oversight and improving services for children.
“This unified framework enhances the quality of early childhood education and ensures that institutions operate according to clear and consistent standards that prioritise the welfare and development of children,” he added.
According to the committee’s report, the new law also sets out detailed licensing provisions and enforcement mechanisms, including penalties for violations, making further amendments to the Child Law unnecessary.
The committee therefore recommended that the Shura Council reject the proposed amendments.
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