AMMAN — Educational experts preach that teaching
democracy in a practical way, away from indoctrination is crucial for promoting
partisan awareness and political participation among students.
اضافة اعلان
The call came to the backdrop of an announcement by
The National Center for Curriculum Development on Tuesday on the onset of
teaching “Democracy and Participation in Public Life” for 10th and 11th
graders. It said it will support civic and national education for 10th graders,
while backing material for history for 11th graders.
Former Minister of Education Tayseer Al-Nuaimi told
Jordan
News that “teaching democracy in schools is an important and necessary
step, especially since it comes in response to the political transformation
that we are witnessing”.
He said the move is “consistent with the outcome of
the modernization of the political system”.
Nuaimi argued that “students in the age group of 16
to 17 years old are on the verge of constitutional benefits, such as the right
to vote and elect, whether for municipalities, or in parliamentary polls.”
He explained that “such a transformation in
development and political modernization is a cumulative process, where we must
start from the institutions of social regeneration, including parents, schools
and universities.”
“A key factor for the success of this new experience
is how to use these acquired skills in the classroom,” he said. “I hope that it
will be employed in the method of education so that the students will not be
mere listeners and recipients.”
“If this happens, the desired goal of teaching this
subject, which revolves around making a qualitative shift in the democratic
behavior of our students, will not be achieved,” he pointed out.
He noted the importance of having a dialogue and
debate between students in one class, “especially since the approach to
democracy starts from within the school environment”.
Nuaimi stressed that “the involvement of students in
such activities will have them acquire the right skills to learn to accept
others and accept the differences of opinion.”
“I think that there are challenges on how to train
teachers effectively, given that they have to move away completely from the and
traditional method of teaching,” he said. “Otherwise, we will not be able to
achieve the desired goal of teaching this subject.”
Educational expert Sami Al-Mahasis told
Jordan
News that the move “is a step in the right direction, given that it will
contribute to instilling the spirit of citizenship and participation in
political and party life at the same time”.
“The fear remains that students will be distracted,
especially with the inclusion of this subject with subjects, such as national
education and history, and not keeping it as a separate subject,” he added.
He stressed the importance of noting the grades of
courses in democracy in the final certificate, “so that it is taken seriously
and focused on, due to its importance”.
“It is necessary to organize meetings between
teachers and representatives of the Independent Election Commission to consult
on the mechanism of teaching this subject,” he said.
“Moreover, I suggest that this subject be taught in
two governorates of each region to get feedback from the students, their
families and teachers, and if it succeeds, it should be taught in all governorates
and for all ages,” he maintained.
Mahasis stressed the importance of holding field
visits for students to the Lower House and the Senate “to get them acquainted
with the nature of participation in political and parliamentary life on the
ground”.
Mahmoud Massad, former head of the National Center
for Curriculum Development, told
Jordan News that democracy “should to
be taught in the form of extracurricular activity, and be part of the student’s
way of life since the first grade”.
He explained that “holding classes and school
elections, for instance, would greatly instill the concept of democracy among
students, so this would be a practical application on the ground.”
“This subject cannot be taught through education,”
he countered.
“It is based on a set
of behaviors that we must get used to since childhood,” he said. “Those around
us, parents and teachers, must set a good example for us in this matter.”
Saleh Al-Omari, director of the Curriculum
Department at the Ministry of Education, told
Jordan News that
“democracy will not be subject to the final evaluation of the students, but
this will not reduce its importance as it will be based on strategies of
dialogue and debate, and thus will deepen the students’ understanding.”
He said: “This subject will include hosting
personalities from the Independent Election Commission to talk about the
elections. In addition, there will be visits to the Lower House.”
According to Omari, “students will discuss many
local issues, with a focus on political issues and they will also will be
discussing the election law and the party law.”
“The Ministry of
Education is partnering with various bodies and institutions to discuss the
most appropriate way to teach this subject, due to its importance, and given
that students in the ages of 16 and 17 years are entering a new stage in their
lives that includes various rights and duties, and we must help and support
them,” he concluded.
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