Salman Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa - Education

Education

Salman completed his high school education at Bahrain School, and then went on to earn a BA degree in Political Science from the American University in Washington D.C. (1992), followed by a MPhil degree in History and philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge, England (1994). He has since participated in numerous seminars addressing Persian Gulf security issues and Middle East affairs.

Salman established the Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Programme to guide Bahrain’s young people in to the 21st century. Under the programme, the most able high school students from Bahrain are awarded scholarships to continue their higher education overseas, and return to productively contribute to the building of the country’s economy. By allowing the country’s brightest pupils to benefit from foreign expertise and to broaden their experience abroad, it is hoped to prepare young Bahrainis for the challenges of the modern job market, and in particular for employment in fields such as information technology, finance and law.

Unfortunately many scholarships were revoked for Bahraini students participating at the pro-democracy protests in Manchester and London. However, no Crown Prince Scholar had her/his scholarship revoked. On Wednesday 20 April 2011, an open letter produced by National Union of Students Executive member Mark Bergfeld and activists at the University of Manchester Students Union called upon the UK government to provide financial support and protection to Bahraini students in the UK. The letter states, “Universal access to education is a right and should not be denied as a punishment for participating in protest,” and points out that the government has already agreed to provide similar support for Libyan students in the UK at risk of punishment from the Gaddafi regime. Previously revoked scholarships were later reinstated.