CG: I’ve been an educator all my life. The opportunity to become the Director was really by chance that I was in Bahrain and the Crown Prince had an interest in my background because he knew I truly loved all children, and so it was just an amazing opportunity that he invited me to be part of his programme.

The PIE: When did the programme start?

CG: The inception was in 1999 when the Crown Prince had just completed his degrees in Washington, DC, and Cambridge in the UK. When he came back at this early age, at 29, he realised what an amazing opportunity he had that many people would never have due to their circumstances, be it economics or lack of exposure or lack of opportunity to compete.

So he made the commitment to developing a scholarship programme that would level the playing field for all young people in the Kingdom of Bahrain. So at that time he began his programme, any Bahraini young person that completed their first semester of Grade 11 that had a 97% GPA would be eligible for application.

“Any Bahraini young person that completed their first semester of Grade 11 that had a 97% GPA would be eligible for application”

The PIE: And is it really open to all? Are there students from a very low economic background?

CG: It’s all backgrounds. Some people will argue, why do you allow someone that has wealth to become part of the programme? Well, the Crown Prince is totally transparent and fair, and thinks ‘just like me, I didn’t choose to have a dad for a king!’ so they didn’t choose their parents who have more money. So he selects strictly on merit.

The PIE: How many students get the scholarship?

CG: He selects 10 each year: four from private and six from the Ministry of Education. They are allowed to choose their course of study in seven countries: Singapore, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, France and Germany. He prefers them not to study in the GCC because they would be more limited in terms of using their Arabic, their comfort zone.

“He prefers them not to study in the GCC because they would be more limited in terms of using their Arabic, their comfort zone. He really encourages diversity and challenge”

There are no restrictions on what they want to study, except medicine – and this decision is based on there being a lot of doctors in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and also the specialty is very limited for competition coming from a second language kingdom in the US or the UK.

The PIE: Do you keep in touch with all the scholarship recipients?

CG: 
Yes. He actually meets with them twice a year on an individual basis at winter break and spring recess to just have an informal chat on how they’re doing. We also have an alumni group. Also, unique to this scholarship is he doesn’t require them to come back to Bahrain.


The PIE: How many have returned to Bahrain?