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The Palestinian
Curriculum
Means of Education and Instrument of Development
The
MoEHE believes that creating a Palestinian curriculum devoted to
serving and reflecting the Palestinian particularity is crucial for
meeting the aspirations of the Palestinian nation, and placing it in
a respectable position among other nations of the world. Creating a
Palestinian curriculum is considered the means to establish the
national identity and sovereignty of the Palestinian people, and a
basis for fostering democratic values and human rights, and an
instrument of sustainable human development as emphasized by the
five-year plan.
The
importance of the Palestinian curriculum emerged from the fact that
curriculum is the main medium through which learning occurs and the
objectives of the society are achieved. As a result, the Ministry
gives due care to producing the school textbook as a major component
of the curriculum, as the main source of knowledge and learning in
the educational process. A tool that is always available to the
teacher and learner; in addition to other media, the internet, the
computer, society, and family.
In
2000 the Ministry implemented the first phase of the new Palestinian
Curriculum Development Plan by producing the school textbooks for
Grades 1 and 6 of basic Education; in 2001 schoolbooks for Grades 2
and 7 were introduced; in 2002 books for Grades 3 and 8 became
available to students; and in 2003 books for Grades 4 and 9
produced; and in September 1, 2004, books for Grades 5 and 10 will
be made available to students. Additionally, work continues on all
books’ evaluation, revisions, and improvements for 4 years after the
production of the book.
The
new textbooks for Grade 11, literary and the scientific streams, and
vocational and technical education will be ready at the beginning of
the 2005 school-year. Grade 12, the final year of General Education,
will be prepared for distribution on September 1, 2006. That year
will be significant since it will be the first time in the history
of Education in Palestine that our students will have the General
Secondary School Examination in accordance with regulations and
specifications of the Palestinian Curriculum fully applied in all
school-grades, 1 through 12.
The
Palestinian Curriculum has also taken into consideration modern
trends and developments in education by:
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Introducing the teaching of English language in first Grade rather
than fifth, as was the case in the old curricula.
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Technology has also been introduced in fifth Grade, and students in
ninth Grade are learning technology as introduced in the Palestinian
curriculum. Technology for the 10th Grade will be applied in the
coming year.
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Students study Health and Environment in Grade 7 through Grade 10.
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Civic Education has also been introduced to enable citizens to
create a cooperative society through knowing of one’s rights,
responsibilities, and civic duties.
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Information Technology, Current Issues, and Economics and Business
Administration courses will be introduced for Grades 11 and 12.
Over 230 school textbooks and teacher’s handbooks have been produced
so far. They are the basis for a successful educational process,
they are rich in content and form, using modern techniques and
methods in teaching, with the use of teaching aids. In accordance
with the five-year-plan these books are annually revised, updated,
and improved through a process of regular assessment, evaluation,
and feedback from the field. The first, second and third editions of
each book are trial copies to allow for revisions in the first 4
years. It must be pointed out in this context that hundreds of
dedicated professional and experts in every field participate in
every phase of the schoolbooks production, in a transparent,
democratic, and cooperative process.
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