AMMAN — The
Ministry of Education announced on Tuesday the social studies subjects that
will be taught to school students, which include history, geography, national
and civic education, and for the first time in four decades, philosophy. The
decision has been equally praised and criticized.
اضافة اعلان
Executive
Director of the National Center for Curriculum Development Sherin Hamed told
Jordan
News that philosophy will be part of the civil education text book for
students from the first to the 10th grade.
“The critical
thinking and analysis skills related to philosophy will be included in the
curriculum. These skills are an introduction to philosophy that the student
will be exposed to through the curriculum, in grades one through ten,” Hamed
added.
Starting with
the 11th grade and until the end of the high school, philosophy will be taught
in a separate manual as part of the curriculum, Hamed said.
According to
Hamed, the knowledge students acquire from the first to the 10th grade will
enable them to form opinions and deal with the subject of philosophy
independently.
Regarding the
implementation of the decision, which was approved by the Education Council,
Hamed said that the manuals will be written as soon as the final approval is
given.
... Philosophy will be taught to equip students to develop critical thinking, be able to analyze and argue through topics that are compatible with the mental and emotional development of the learners.
Hamed added that
philosophy will be taught in the first year to the first, fourth, seventh, and
10th grades; in the following year it will be taught to the second, fifth,
eighth and 11th grades, and in the third year to the third, sixth, ninth and
12th grades.
That way, she
said, students will study a new subject as they advance in years, without
repeating the topics studied in previous years.
Saleh Al-Omari,
director of the Curriculum Department at the Ministry of Education, told
Jordan
News that philosophy will be taught to equip students to develop critical
thinking, be able to analyze and argue through topics that are compatible with
the mental and emotional development of the learners.
Omari said that
the world constantly changes its school curricula, and that most countries
teach philosophy, adding that it is very important for students to think and ask
questions in a scientific and structured manner.
He said that it
is necessary to seek the assistance of philosophy graduates, and that teachers
who teach social studies will undergo training, in terms of content and
teaching methods, within a training and qualification program.
Rahaf
Al-Sourani, an educator in the private sector, told
Jordan News that
focus should not be placed on philosophy, as students today need more
practical, dynamic, and interactive materials to enrich their skills.
Sourani added
that student needs more technical studies, particularly now that the world
turns to artificial intelligence.
The ministry’s decision to
reintroduce philosophy in schools has been praised and denounced on social
media. While some saw this as a move to encourage independent thinking and
logical approach to problem solving, others were suspicious of the motives
believing that the decision had sinister goals aimed at distancing students
from religion and promoting secularism.
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