Jordan Times
Monday, January 19, 2004
School curricula development dominates House session
By Sahar Aloul
AMMAN — Developing the Ministry of Education curricula was the first topic to merit a public discussion session from the 14th Lower House of Parliament on Sunday.The proposed introduction of the new human rights and peace culture concepts to school curricula raised many questions and several attacks from MPs who claimed the revamp was instigated by foreign pressure.
“The American desire to adjust curricula and alter many Islamic concepts through this plan is very apparent,” Islamist MP and first assistant to House Speaker, Ali Abul Sukkar, said during the public discussion session.
His claims were shared by a number of deputies who denounced the Ministry of Education's proposed matrix to develop several humanities topics taught in schools by including hundreds of new concepts and excluding several others.
According to Education Minister Khalid Touqan, the plan is built around four main axes: Human rights; peace culture; common values, including education, democracy and cultural rights; and literary and creative texts.
The culture of peace concept raised the most controversy among deputies who claimed that the UNESCO-recommended idea reinforces surrender and defeat in the minds of students, rather than just peace.
“We are with developing our curricula and we approve of many concepts suggested by the ministry but we believe that teaching the concept of peace, in its pure academic sense, contradicts with the current regional political situation [occupation of Iraq and Palestine]” independent MP Abdul Rahim Malhas said.
Some MPs found the concept was in line with globally accepted ideologies.
“This scheme goes hand-in-hand with global educational and technological development. At the same time, it safeguards our religious and cultural heritage,” MP Abed Thawabia said.
Touqan told the House the new project had been in development since 1999, but representatives claimed it came in the wake of Sept. 11 and the ensuing US-led war on terrorism.
Several Islamic and Arab countries have announced curricula changes in the past two years, including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Syria and Jordan.
The concept of jihad (holy war) was also discussed during the session, as deputies called for it to be included in the new plan, as well as clear-cut definitions for both terrorism and the right of resistance, namely in Iraq and Palestine.
At the conclusion of the 4-hour session, House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali referred the matrix to the Lower House Education Committee, upon recommendations by the vast majority of the 51 deputies who spoke on Sunday.