Naema Al-Sharhan: The integrated curriculum faces 4 main challenges

«Education» approves the non-mandatory application of «Salama series» in schools

  • "Salama Series" included distinctive educational and scientific components and high-end content. Archive - WAM

  • Naema Al-Sharhan: "Integrative education is a system that existed in the past to deal with human deficits in the educational field."

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The Ministry of Education reported that the application of the integrated curriculum series in the Arabic language, culture and ethics (Salama series) has become optional starting from the next academic year, noting that the decision came after a comprehensive review of the curriculum conducted by the ministry that included extensive analytical studies and the recommendations of the National Committee for the Review of Arabic Language Curricula, which is a neutral national academic committee from national educational institutions.

The Second Vice President of the Federal National Council, Naema Abdullah Al-Sharhan, confirmed to "Emirates Today" that the application of the integrated curriculum system, through which one teacher teaches four subjects, faces four main challenges in state schools, the most important of which is related to the teacher's readiness to teach this amount of subjects with the required efficiency, stressing that «the application of this system pressures teachers, which may negatively affect their professional competence».

In detail, the Ministry confirmed that under the decision to implement the integrated curriculum series in Arabic language, culture and ethics (Salama series), optionally, starting from the next academic year, public and private schools that apply the ministerial curriculum can choose between applying the integrated "Salama series", or teaching Arabic language, Islamic education, social studies and moral education subjects to students of the first cycle (from first grade to fourth grade) as separate subjects with their educational resources provided by the Ministry of Education.

She revealed that the decision to make the "Salama Series" available to schools on an optional basis came after conducting a comprehensive and in-depth study conducted by specialized teams from the Ministry, in addition to a comprehensive review carried out by a national academic committee that includes a group of education experts to review the integrated curriculum and ensure its suitability with the needs of the educational community and the educational strategy in the country, in line with international best practices and reflects positively on students as they are the focus of the educational process and the basis for its development process.

The Ministry pointed out that in December last year, it formed a neutral national academic committee to review the integrated curriculum in Arabic language, culture and ethics (Salama series) for students of the first cycle (from the first to the fourth grade), and the committee included in its membership experts and specialists in the educational field from the United Arab Emirates University, Zayed University, Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities, University of Sharjah, University of Birmingham Dubai, and the Khalifa Award for Education.

She stated that after the formation of the committee, several meetings were held over a period of three months, during which they discussed in detail the integrated curriculum according to a methodology based on global perceptions in the field of curriculum design, teaching reading, and ensuring the achievement of optimal educational outcomes, and the committee focused mainly on the philosophy of the curriculum, the mechanisms of its application and ways to develop it to achieve the goals for which it was developed, and then the committee submitted a comprehensive report to the Ministry of Education, through which it proposed recommendations for developing the curriculum in the medium and long term.

The "Salama" series included distinctive educational and scientific components, high-end content and an interesting, purposeful and simple style, represented in the "Student Book", "Activity Book", and "Teacher's Guide". It was also represented in "Enriching and Therapeutic Stories (Nahla and Nahil Platform)" and "Digital Library (Educational Videos)".

On the other hand, a member of the Council, Naema Al-Sharhan confirmed to "Emirates Today", before the issuance of the new decision of the Ministry of Education, that she will address a parliamentary question to the Minister of Education, Dr. Ahmed bin Abdullah Belhoul Al-Falasi, during the session of the Federal National Council, tomorrow, headed by Saqr Ghobash, on the integrated curriculum, focusing on the role of the teacher in this system, the extent of his qualification and readiness to apply it, and the extent to which the application reflects on his performance in the classroom, and on the students' absorption of what it provides them with scientific outcome, especially that the factors of The success of the educational process is based mainly on the teacher, the curriculum, the educational environment, and parents, pointing out that she seeks, through her question, to clarify the reasons, studies, standards and scientific and methodological results on which the Ministry relied when making the decision to implement the integrated curriculum.

She said that «the Ministry of Education is making great efforts to develop the education sector, and has current and future plans that contribute to the further advancement of the educational process, which efforts cannot be minimized or opposed, especially as they are closest to the reality on the ground, but there are some things in the educational field that need more clarification, especially as they have become the subject of comments and complaints that reach us from students' parents, the most important of which is related to the problems facing the integrated curriculum system or integrated education, through which One teacher teaches three or four subjects, including Arabic and Islamic education."

Al-Sharhan stated that there are four main challenges facing the application of the integrated curriculum system in general in state schools, the first of which is the efficiency of teachers to teach the integrated curriculum, and the second is related to the teacher's readiness to deal with this teaching system by obtaining training courses and workshops that qualify him to teach this amount of subjects with the required efficiency, because he has mental and physical energy that makes it difficult to teach four subjects together, in addition to preparing and qualifying students psychologically to deal with the issue of one teacher remaining in the classroom for most The school day, which is not good in modern educational systems that take into account the need for students to change subjects and teachers daily, considering that this system is like a return to an old educational system called the "classroom teacher".

She explained that the latest and most prominent challenges are related to the appropriateness of applying the integrated curriculum system with reducing the number of weekly school days and hours in schools, stressing that the application of the integrated curriculum system puts pressure on teachers, which may negatively affect their professional competence, because this system basically needs more time for teaching hours to give the teacher comfort to carry out his duties and provide his best to students, which is difficult to achieve in light of the reduction in the number of school days.

Al-Sharhan said: «I see that the integrated education system, or what is known as the integrated curriculum, is a system that existed in the past to deal with a human deficiency that existed in the educational field, and succeeded to a large extent at the time in achieving its purpose, and therefore it cannot be said that it is not a good system, but it needs to be developed in line with the current time, and the readiness of teachers to apply it, as well as the ability of students to absorb it, in addition to taking into account its suitability with the distance education system, which can be resorted to in Certain times, like during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Members of the Council will address eight questions to Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chairperson of the Emirates Schools Establishment, and Dr. Ahmed bin Abdullah Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education.

Health Insurance for New Teachers

Members of the Federal National Council (FNC) will ask six parliamentary questions to Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chairperson of the Emirates Schools Establishment, during tomorrow's Council session, including a question from member Kifah Mohammed Al Zaabi about health insurance for new teachers, another from member Aisha Reda Al Bairaq, about leadership positions in government educational institutions in the UAE, and a question from the Second Vice President of the Council, Naema Abdullah Al Sharhan, about the incidents of running over students.

Member Nasser Mohammed Al Yamahi also asked the Minister about the establishment of an educational complex in Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed City in Fujairah, member Sabreen Hassan Al Yamahi asked about the suspension of promotions for teachers and academic advisors, and finally member Sumaya Abdullah Al Suwaidi asked a question about the geographical distribution of generational schools in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

As scheduled, the Minister of Education, Dr. Ahmed bin Abdullah Belhoul Al-Falasi, will receive two parliamentary questions during the session, the first from member Saeed Rashid Al-Abdi, on the ELTS test, and the second from the second Deputy Speaker of the Council, Naema Abdullah Al-Sharhan, on the "Integrative Curriculum".