JEDDAH, 5 February 2008 — The new arts curriculum to be introduced soon in elementary and intermediate boys’ schools will allow students to explore their talents in different fields of art, including photography, painting, calligraphy and sculpting.
The Ministry of Education announced that it would be testing the curriculum at some private and public schools in Jeddah and Makkah next year.
“Jeddah is known for being distinct in art and culture, so it is expected that it will be a successful trial,” said Talal Ameen, head of the Art Department at the Ministry of Education.
He said unlike in the past the new curriculum would focus on practicing arts and not just on studying them.
Teachers will be instructed to seek out talent and communicate with institutions such as the Jeddah Gifted Center. “There will be exhibitions displaying works of students and already three exhibitions have been held in Jeddah,” he said.
The new curriculum is the result of collective efforts by art supervisors at the education directorate in Makkah.
The ministry had also signed agreements to execute “Spiritus Mundi” (Embrace the World), an arts program in cooperation with Sweden. It is an interactive exchange program involving children aged 11 and 12 from Saudi Arabia and Sweden. Each visit would last for 10 days by 10 students from each country.
