RIYADH, 20 May 2003 — A two-day symposium, “Curricula: Principles and Fundamentals”, chaired by Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khaled Al-Anqari, opens here today. It focuses on ways of modifying and improving Saudi Arabia’s school curriculum, which has been at the center of a heated world debate following the attacks of Sept. 11 and the revelation that 15 of the 19 hijackers who carried them out were Saudi nationals.
Dr. Abdularahman Al-Turairi, Dean of College of Education at King Saud University and head of the organizing committee of the symposium, told Arab News that a large number of educational specialists have been invited.
“Changing the Saudi school curriculum should be done according to detailed and objective research carried out by those who have expert knowledge in the area,” Al-Turairi said.
He added that anyone can take the opportunity to attend the nine intensive seminars, which start at 10 a.m. and will be held at the Hamad Al-Jasser Hall at King Saud University.
The symposium will also study the curricula of more than 13 countries around the world, and these include Israel, the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, South Africa and the Philippines.
“We aim to present a comparative study between our school curriculum and those that exist in many other countries, and so give researchers and specialists a complete international perspective of developing what we should teach in Saudi Arabia,” Al-Turairi explained.
