Throughout the history of human civilization, structured forms of societies required a way of conveying useful information to their youth. The ways of delivering this useful information took many forms and had unique end goals. From learning by doing, to inculcation, to apprenticeships and so on. Moreover, these were ways to forge the youth into competent adults either to survive, to be laborers or because the adults deemed it best. In a big part of history this was to an extent inhumane and purely for the more powerful sections of society to expand their wealth and have people work for them. This process relied on snuffing human nature of exploration and playing, which is why it wasn’t successful. (Gary, 2008)
Although these processes are past their time, there are points of strength that can be adapted to achieve a balance that is more suitable for contemporary needs and has flexibility for the future. For Bahrain, the introduction of systematic formal education was strong at first and assisted in eradicating illiteracy. However, the public schooling system’s wheel of evolution slowed down in progress and saw very little change. This can be seen by examining how the Bahraini society changed in its way of life, homes and where they work and socialize and how that is reflected in the physical environment. Change was absent in the architectural nature of schools and educational buildings, and that speaks about the lack of change in the pedagogical approaches to learning.
The implications of this system were seen evident later as the average Bahraini employee was underperforming in soft skills and the practical application of theoretical knowledge. The heavy reliance on the memorization of textbooks and written exams have handicapped the youth in later stages of their lives. Several educational programs were launched, however, now there was a risk factor of trying a new program that is mysterious or sticking to the old system that is at least known. All these point in the direction of the need of a complementary system that supports the existing public education and eases in changes for the better and eliminates the risk factor. Skills taught within such an educational facility respond to future labor market forecasts. Moreover, this fills a gap present in the lack of such project on such a scale in Bahrain. Small project with similar aims are present but operate on limited grounds such as ‘Doroos Educational Center’ that teaches languages and STEM related skills.
Thus, this proposal looks at the rigid existing educational system and questions its limitations. It will stand as an independent facility that complements the points of weakness present in the formal educational system with an emphasis on a holistic learning experience that favors project-based learning with more emphasis on collaboration, problem solving and interdisciplinary dialog. This will also save resources and time by complementing the formal system instead of entirely replacing it. It aims at introducing alternative ways of education that are more relevant to the future that awaits the students and the improvement of the overall educational system in Bahrain.
The target users of the proposal would be youth in the transitional period between school and higher education and it is between 14-19 years. However, deviations from this range are possible while the focus is on that age group. After interviews [1] and observations, it was evident that change in the formal system was quite slow in implementation. Thus, it is more appropriate for the project to be a partnership between private investors and an entity such as Tamkeen that supports educational programs and institutions. Moreover, by being a for profit project, it would be profitable and easier to maintain and run. (Tamkeen, 2017)
The two stages of research set up the building blocks for the functional program. First, from observing how such institutes operate routinely, there are two periods per day (morning and afternoon with a small break in-between). These facilities usually open six days of the week with Fridays being off. Thus, a schedule of events is formed in accordance with the courses offered and their required areas. Each space required has an occupational limit. Therefore, the summation of the total occupational limit for each space in all courses gives an accurate prediction of enrolled students. The total reached equals 420 students per day. This, cross referenced with the approximate number of students enrolled in the discussed case studies ensures the accuracy of the calculations.
Moreover, since the proposal is intended to be a fully independent entity it shall require a full staff of administration to ensure that the building is managed well, and all corporate and academic matters are handled. On the other hand, it also means that the building needs to be self-sustaining in terms of maintenance, upkeep, security and services. As all these considerations are handled, all the expected users are accounted for. And in the end, the proposal is expected to operate efficiently.
