Manama: Bahrain is launching virtual labs in various disciplines at the beginning of the new academic year, the education minister has said.
“The labs will be used to conduct science, chemistry and physics experiments through computers,” Majid Al Nuaimi said. “There will be no need for substances and the students will be able to benefit without being exposed to any kind of risk,” he said.
The move will allow students to have their own labs and to get directly involved in the experiment by modelling the physical phenomenon through a set of equations and carrying out simulations to yield particular results.
The ministry hopes that students will boost their aptitudes to conduct experiments and to access data more easily.
“The decision to have the virtual labs is part of the ministry’s efforts to improve learning and education standards,” he said.
The virtual labs will be initially used in two schools, one for boys and the other for girls, and will be extended to the other schools gradually, the minister said.
The academic year will start in mid-September following a long summer break.
Bahrain was the first country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to launch formal education for boys and girls.
Girls have however often outperformed boys in middle and high school end-of-year results.
