Philippine School Bahrain

 BRIEF PROFILE OF PHILIPPINE SCHOOL BAHRAIN

DepEd School ID: 700002

HISTORY

For many years, Filipino children in Bahrain faced difficulties finding placements in affordable schools due to shortage of seats. On the other hand, children who succeeded in enrolling in Bahrain Schools, found themselves handicapped in subjects like Filipino, Social Studies and Philippine History when they eventually joined the Philippine education mainstream. Some ended up missing school altogether.

The predicament was real and so in 1992, when the Philippine Embassy in Bahrain opened, a number of concerned parents immediately submitted their requests on the possibility of putting up a Philippine school. The desire of the community was given serious consideration by the then Ambassador, H.E. Leonides T. Caday, and the then Consul-General Amable Aguiluz III. In September 1992, the Embassy commissioned a survey to assess the need for a Philippine school.

The outcome of the survey was very conclusive. There was a great interest among Filipino parents to transfer their children to a school catering for Filipinos if one was established. Encouraged by the result, H.E. Leonides T. Caday organized committees that prepared a complete feasibility study. The result of the study was submitted to the Bahrain Ministry of Education in 1993.

When H.E. Akmad A. Sakkam became the Ambassador in July 1994, he immediately recognized the need for a Philippine School. He took charge of the project and made active and personal representations with the Bahrain Government. In October 1994, he succeeded in obtaining the Bahrain Ministry of Education approval to establish a non-profit, non-stock educational institution that implements the curriculum based on the Philippine Educational System.

The Philippine School Bahrain (PSB) was established in 1994 through the initiative and cooperative efforts of 27 Filipinos who became its founders. The initial funding needed to implement the project came, following the inspiration from the Ambassador, from 27 Filipino men and women who eventually constituted the Philippine School Association members. Of this number, 9 men and women were appointed as the first Board of Trustees to organize and manage the School, search for funds and draw up the School’s Constitution and By-Laws under the advisorship of the Philippine Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The school provides pre-elementary, elementary and secondary education to Filipino children in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It uses the Philippine curriculum to facilitate the smooth integration of home-bound children in the mainstream of Philippine education system. Upon the approval of the Ministry of Education, and with three rented villas at the Kanoo Gardens, it formally opened its doors to Filipino students on 26 August 1995. Because of its strong commitment to provide quality education, the PSB was recognized by the Philippine government on 30 March 2000. Through the leadership of the Board of Governors headed by Mr. Rodrigo Acosta, Chairman, and Mr. Reuel Castro, Vice-Chairman, the PSB has become an institution which promotes not only academic excellence but also Filipino values and cultural heritage among Filipino children in Bahrain.

The Philippine School Bahrain is the First Philippine School Overseas to be accredited by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). The School had the PAASCU Preliminary Survey Visit on November 26-27, 2013 as the second step towards its bid for quality assurance. The team of accreditors was composed of Dr. Cynthia Arcadio, chair; Mr. Marc Hernandez, member; Mr. Jose Ramelle Javier, member; Ms. Lutgarda Carlos, Member; and Ms. Concepcion V. Pijano, PAASCU Executive Director.

To date, through the bayanihan spirit and unwavering support of Filipinos in Bahrain as well as the unfailing generosity of the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the PSB has developed into a big institution of learning in a spacious campus at A’Ali. The PSB is a Filipino home away from home. It faithfully abides by its motto “excellence through wisdom” for the greater glory of every Filipino, for the Philippines, for the Kingdom of Bahrain and for God.

VISION

To be a leading educational institution excelling in developing students to become competent, creative, committed and compassionate individuals.

MISSION

To provide excellent pre-elementary and basic education in the Kingdom of Bahrain based on the Philippine educational system.