
Al Hidd Primary School Successfully Integrates Autistic Students Into Regular Classrooms
According to Bahrain News Agency, Dr. Mohamed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education, highlighted the school's efforts and commended the special education teachers, Haya Jassim Hassan, Fatima Falah Al Asfoor, Fatima Ibrahim Ashour, and Nasaem Khalifa Al Maqahwi, for their key role in this accomplishment, under the supervision of School Principal Hanadi Mubarak Isa.
The principal highlighted the school's specialised educational programmes designed to develop autistic students' abilities in Arabic, mathematics, English, and science, alongside nurturing their personal, artistic, and social skills through the I Am Creative project. This initiative aims to develop independence, confidence, and positive integration into society.
She explained that the school's Future Champions class, dedicated to autistic students, employs diverse teaching strategies, including play-based learning to enhance engagement and comprehension, individualised instruction tailored to students' needs, and a focus on 21st-century skills to promote independence and effective communication. Students are also encouraged to participate in school competitions.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Tribune
6 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
Term dates, exams and holidays set for 2025–26
The Ministry of Education has set the academic calendar for 2025 to 2026, confirming term dates, exam windows and public holidays for all stages in public schools and continuingw education programmes. Staff return on Monday 1 September 2025. Students start on Wednesday 3 September, and the first term runs to Monday 12 January 2026. Term one holidays are the Prophet's Birthday on Saturday 4 October 2025, Bahrain's National Day and His Majesty the King's Accession Day on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 December, and New Year's Day on Thursday 1 January 2026. The English skills pre-test will run from Sunday 5 to Thursday 9 October 2025, with the post-test set for Sunday 29 March to Thursday 2 April 2026. Registration for new students for 2026 to 2027 runs from Monday 20 October to Thursday 6 November 2025. First-term final exams begin on Sunday 21 December 2025 for general secondary, parallel secondary, and technical and vocational streams. Religious Intermediate Certificate exams start on Wednesday 24 December, General Intermediate on Sunday 28 December, and exams for non-certificate grades and Cycle Two (for affiliate students) on Wednesday 31 December. The last day any exam may be held is Monday 12 January 2026, which is also the final teaching day for Cycle One of basic education. The mid-year break runs from Sunday 18 to Thursday 29 January 2026, a total of 11 days. All staff and students return on Sunday 1 February 2026 to begin the second term. The last teaching day for all students is Monday 25 May 2026. Ramadan is expected from Wednesday 18 February to Thursday 19 March 2026. Second-term holidays are Eid al-Fitr from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 March 2026, Labour Day on Friday 1 May, the Day of Arafah and Eid al-Adha from Tuesday 26 to Friday 29 May, the Hijri New Year on Tuesday 16 June, and Ashura on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June. During term two, the English post-test runs from Sunday 29 March to Thursday 2 April 2026. End-of-term exams for Continuing Education Centres ('Equivalent Basic Education') are set for Monday 28 April to Wednesday 6 May. Final exams for general secondary, parallel secondary, and technical and vocational education begin on Monday 4 May; Religious Intermediate on Sunday 10 May; General Intermediate on Tuesday 12 May; and exams for non-certificate grades and the ends of Cycle One and Cycle Two on Thursday 14 May. Final exams for all stages continue to Monday 25 May 2026. Resit exams for Continuing Education Centres take place from Wednesday 10 to Monday 22 June 2026. Resits for all stages and for parallel secondary run from Thursday 18 to Sunday 28 June. School books for 2026 to 2027 will be given out from Sunday 21 to Thursday 25 June. The last working day for staff is Tuesday 30 June 2026, with a return on Tuesday 1 September 2026.


Gulf Weekly
2 days ago
- Gulf Weekly
Summer spent right
melissa@ Not all children spend their holidays glued to the screen or getting bored. Several young philanthropists based in Bahrain are engaging in social work this summer, shining a bright spotlight on the importance of introducing community-oriented activities at an early age. According to reports online, humanitarian work offers multiple benefits to adolescents, like improved critical thinking, more empathy, higher self-worth and fewer depressive symptoms, among others. New Millennium School grade 12 student Alison Reeves concurred, asserting that her experience with social work has been 'rewarding'. The Indian Community Relief Fund's (ICRF) Thirst Quenchers summer campaign volunteer believes that participating in the initiative has been an educational journey for her. The programme is aligned with the Labour Ministry's summer mid-day outdoor work ban, where ICRF volunteers visit locations across the kingdom every Saturday of July and August to distribute refreshments. 'I started a year ago and can say that it has helped me hone my social skills,' the 17-year-old Indian expatriate told GulfWeekly. 'I learned how to introduce myself to different people and deal with various situations. For instance, many workers do not speak English, so we have to find a way to communicate with them. We also understand how to be polite with them,' added the Juffair resident, who aspires to pursue a degree in event management while continuing with community activities. 'ICRF has shown me there are communities like this wherever I go. So, even when I study abroad, I am hopeful I can find a place where I can volunteer,' she added. Alison is inspired by her parents Althea and Basil Reeves, who are also committed to social causes and have always encouraged her to pursue the same. Tubli resident Aamer Al Zaman also motivated his children, Rayyan, 13, and Jenan, 11, to volunteer at a summer camp for differently abled children, conducted by Shahzaib's Club House – a community organisation dedicated to supporting individuals with diverse abilities. 'The turning point was taking them to watch the Bollywood movie Sitaare Zameen Par ('stars on Earth'), which focuses on the same cause,' Aamer revealed. 'I then spoke to them about how we need to help these 'stars', who are just as talented as us. While they found it tough initially, we motivated them not to give up and the organisers were supportive too.' Club House founder Amena Shahrukh said that sometimes, the young volunteers were assigned tasks to do with the children and at other times, they came up with their own ideas. 'Our young volunteers also assisted our teachers in the classroom,' she added. Spurred on by the enriching experience, the siblings, who attend Naseem International School, have expressed a desire to continue volunteering every summer. Youngsters Ali Ashraf, 12, and Fatima Zaynab Al Isa, 11, also volunteer at Shahzaib's Club House's summer camp, which will continue until the end of this month. The home-schooled children from Saar are equally excited about the experience and hope to continue it every year. 'I led an activity on recycling paper,' Ali said. 'It was difficult when the differently abled children cried or when I didn't understand what they were saying and I'm still learning to get better at that. But I learned how to be patient through this experience and had a really good time with all the children,' the Australian-Pakistani talent added.


Gulf Weekly
24-07-2025
- Gulf Weekly
Tale of human connections
The English translation of former Bahrain-resident and author Millat Ahmad's novel has hit the shelves, and offers a poignant portrayal of migrant life abroad, writes Melissa Nazareth. Indian expatriate and second-year student at Catholic Junior College, Singapore, Alief Ahmad, collaborated with his father Millat, who wrote the novel Singapooril Saravanan in 2020 in Tamil. The new book entitled Three Hearts, One Sorrow brings alive culture, history and human emotion and is set against the Little India riot, which took place on December 8, 2013, following an accident that killed an Indian worker. 'While the novel is purely a work of fiction, it's inspired by true events,' 53-year-old Millat, who is also known for his filmmaking, told GulfWeekly. 'The initial inspiration for this story came to me while I was in Bahrain as I witnessed first-hand the incredible social work of individuals in the kingdom, who dedicate their own money and efforts to help repatriate the bodies of deceased Indian workers to their families back home,' he added. The novel captures the emotional journey of Saravanan's friends, as they navigate the complex process of repatriating his body to his homeland, after he dies amidst the unrest. Millat masterfully weaves together the life stories of three individuals, presenting the narrative from multiple perspectives: through the eyes of a character, as a narrator, and via a diary. This multi-faceted approach offers a deeply emotional and nuanced exploration of foreign workers' lives, exposing the harsh realities of agent exploitation and painstakingly detailing the procedures and certifications required to bring a deceased body back to India. 'My son suggested that translating the novel into English would help it to reach a wider audience, especially those who don't read Tamil,' said the former video shop owner who used to live on Zubarah Avenue in Bahrain. 'While still an O-Level student at St Patrick's School, he eagerly volunteered for the task, diligently working on the translation during his breaks from studies. He completed the project during his school holiday. 'The publication of Three Hearts, One Sorrow coincides with Singapore's 60th Diamond Jubilee this year,' Millat added.