Al-Watan newspaper

EDUCATION is the be-all and end-all of development. It plays a significant role in determining the future of any nation. It is one of the most important files that can change the face of Saudi Arabia. The educational system includes its structure, components and stages, and plays a major role in the overall development of the country.

Man is the goal of development and its various means and this has been emphasized by UNESCO at the Dakar Conference in 1999 when it identified the link between the goals of education and development. Education qualifies human beings to engage in various developmental activities by increasing their knowledge and enhancing their skills.

Education is essential for work and production, for coexistence and self-fulfillment. It motivates a person to use his abilities for innovation and competition. These objectives cannot be achieved without developing an integrated education system of high standard that can meet the needs of individuals as well as the academic and knowledge community.

The education system must be efficient and capable of producing good results. Educational stages must be interdependent and cumulative and support each other. These stages, especially in general education, are the main component for capacity building that would qualify individuals to meet labor market requirements.

If we take into account the above discussion we can say that the modern education system with reformed curriculum will be able to create a powerful generation which can overcome challenges as reform of curricula in tune with modern requirements would have a significant impact on the society's ability to catch up with development and boost welfare.

Substandard curricula with poor content weakens a student’s capability to cope with the fast regional and global developments. A Saudi child reaches the age of 18 but is ignorant of the most elementary geography, history and other subjects. On the other hand, he studies subjects that do not contribute to enhancing his aesthetic knowledge.

Although the curriculum in Saudi Arabia has undergone several changes over the past years incorporating applied sciences, it is still accused of knowledge deficiency, especially for general education students. There have been allegations that our curriculum did not give any importance to aesthetic taste, art and creativity but promoted extremism and narrow-mindedness.

There have been serious efforts to develop Saudi curriculum, keeping pace with the Kingdom’s development. Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, while participating in the 60-minute talk show on American CBS channel, has emphasized the government’s intent to further improve curriculum, deepening Islamic values and patriotism in the minds of students and meeting requirements of male and female citizens.

Development in general means exerting all possible efforts to reach the desired objectives efficiently and economically, bringing about changes in form and content. Deliberate and orderly attempts must be made to bring about change for the better. When we develop curriculum it should cover all its components including method of teaching, textbooks and educational tools.

The development should also change the school life with all its dimensions, focusing not only on scientific contents, as was the case in the traditional paradigm, but also school activities, programs for personality and leadership development, and improving pedagogical performance, apart from enhancing students’ communication skills. Measures should also be taken to enhance the school’s relations with environment and community.

The first Saudi educational curricula was formulated in 1924, which was followed by the establishment of the Directorate for Education and elementary schools. In 1930 the first signs of objection against what is taught in schools came to the fore as some people thought some lessons contradicted with the teachings of Islam. In 1953, the directorate was transformed into the Ministry of Education.

Later a new curriculum was introduced for primary schools inducting new subjects and increasing hours for others. The education system looked more modern with the introduction of new subjects and diverse teaching materials and methods, raising objections from the part of Islamic scholars who opposed the move to reduce teaching hours for Islamic subjects. They were against teaching science and art subjects (for allegedly having un-Islamic content) and English language.

In 1960s, a different form of objection was raised by writers like Abdul Kareem Al-Juhaiman, who criticized the curriculum demanding greater reform and openness. The influence of Ikhwan Al-Muslimoon appeared in the end of 1960s and the beginning of 1970s, especially in Shariah and literary subjects. Later the curriculum remained unchanged for quite some time.

In the beginning of 1990s, following the second Gulf War, there was a big hue and cry from the part of Islamists who opposed drastic changes in the curriculum and removal of certain lessons having takfiri (branding opponents as infidels) from secondary school textbooks. There was a heated debate in the public media about this issue, which continued for years.

A major turning point took place following 9/11 attacks when the Saudi curriculum witnessed remarkable changes with government exercising greater control. In December 2003 a national dialogue conference was held to discuss educational curriculum with participants demanding change in textbooks and removal of controversial portions from textbooks. A total of 156 personalities including Islamists signed a statement to change the curriculum. The Islamists were not happy with the news changes, calling it a Western agenda.

There is no doubt that the curriculum must be changed in tune with modern developments and cultural, economic and political requirements, covering general education, higher education and specializations. The new curriculum should meet the job market requirements and produce capable manpower to lead the Kingdom to a brighter future. It should be designed in line with the Vision 2030 to transform Saudi Arabia into a global economic and financial powerhouse while strengthening its political position at regional and international levels.