Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Education has developed academic plans for the forthcoming three semesters, by adding new subjects to the curricula to meet the educational requirements and improve the education output for schoolboys and girls in the various education programs.

It would also institute learning styles preferred by the students, in tandem with the needs of the development stage the Kingdom is going through, to keep pace with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The new subjects that have been added to the school curricula in the three-semester system is in conformity with the education programs and services provided to the male and female special education, continuing education, and gifted students in Saudi schools abroad, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Education Programs Dr. Maha Al-Sulaiman, said.

According to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Ministry of Education has stressed that it is keen to provide advanced study plans that meet the needs of students with special needs, improve their learning outputs, achieve for them a good, fair and comprehensive education, by adding subjects on digital skills, English language, and social studies for special education male and female students, apart from classes for vocational activities and training, so as to increase the learning opportunities and improve the students’ outputs.

In addition, the ministry accords a lot of attention to training and qualifying the teaching staff so that they gain the required skills and competence to teach the new subjects through training programs that meet the requirements of those subjects, in cooperation with the National Center for Professional and Educational Development.

The ministry has confirmed that the study plans for Saudi schools abroad have been merged and unified with the general education plans within Saudi Arabia.

The objective is to improve providing equal opportunities and achieving inclusive and equitable education, and facilitating student transfer from one school to another, within the Kingdom and abroad, without disrupting the students’ learning process or causing any loss by missing any lessons or classes, due to the transfer process.

Moreover, an elective subject will be added, that is, learning the language of the host country, its geography or history, so as to enhance the students’ integration into other cultures.

Dr. Maha Al-Sulaiman said that programs for the care of talented students will be started in the new academic plan by including enrichment classes that focus on developing innovation, scientific research, entrepreneurship, community leadership, Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and boosting the skills of the future. These enrichment classes will be intensive and will be given in the third semester of the study plan.