Bahrain overhauls the Private Education Sector
On 28th January, 2026, Law No. 4 of 2026 promulgating the Private Educational Institutions Law (“Private Education Law”) was ratified. As part of its core objectives, the Private Education Law seeks to enhance the governance of private educational institutions and ensure a high-quality education system in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Bearing the significance of this development in mind, private educational institutions existing at the time of enforcement of the Private Education Law have been given one year from the date of enforcement to adjust their status within the ambit of the Private Education Law.
As such, some of the prominent considerations of the Private Education Law are as follows:
1) Licensing Conditions
Article 3 & 4 of the Private Education Law sets out the pre-requisites to be fulfilled for both natural and legal persons prior to establishing any private educational institution in the Kingdom of Bahrain. These are as follows:
Natural Person | Legal Person |
1. Be not less than 21 Gregorian years of age | 1. Must be licensed by the relevant authorities in Bahrain. Furthermore, the license must include the establishment of a private educational institution as part of its authorized activities and the license shall be issued under the name of the institution. |
2. Be of full capacity, good conduct and reputation and not previously convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving dishonesty, public morals or moral turpitude. | 2. Must take a company form as stipulated in the Commercial Companies Law or any other form as mentioned in the applicable legislation, as determined by a Ministerial decision. |
3. Must not have been subject to a decision resulting in the cancellation or withdrawal of the license of their previous institution or the closure of that institution. The Minister may, however, issue a decision to waive this requirement. | 3. Must be represented by a natural person fulfilling the criteria of Article 4(A) of the Private Education Law. |
4. Any other condition as determined by a Ministerial decision. | 4. Any other condition as determined by a Ministerial decision. |
Common: It is prohibited to establish any private educational institution which a license from the Ministry of Education (“Ministry”) in accordance with the applicable legal framework.
Furthermore, Article 14 of the Private Education Law requires the licensee to operate the institution within six (6) months from the date of issuance of the decision granting the license. Non-operation shall lead to a decision withdrawing said license. | |
2) Internal Regulations
Article 13(a) of the Private Education Law requires institutions to draft their internal regulations to govern academic, administrative and financial aspects in lieu of their license conditions. Such institutions are further required to notify the Ministry for their endorsement within seven (7) days of approval of the internal regulations. Notwithstanding this, the Ministry may object to said regulations within sixty (60) working days from the date of receiving the notification.
3) Promotion and Advertising
As under Article 23 of the Private Education Law, institutions are prohibited from promoting itself or its program in a manner that violates applicable laws in the Kingdom of Bahrain or which degrades the honor and dignity of the teaching profession.
4) High vs Low Performing Institutions
Ensuring that the quality of education remains aligned with appropriate standards, Articles 34 and 35 of the Private Education Law authorize the Minister to grant privileges to high-performing institutions or to take measures against underperforming institutions, based on evaluations conducted by a competent entity responsible for evaluating institutional performance.
Conclusion
Education constitutes a critical aspect in the advancement of humankind. In this respect, the Private Education Law reflects Bahrain’s continued focus on improving the quality of education in the Kingdom. As time progresses, focus will remain on implementation across institutions to ensure conformity.
