The Ministry of Education (MoE) has announced that the ‘Salama Series’ series of integrated courses in Arabic, Culture and Ethics will be elective starting from the next academic year 2023-2024. The decision follows a comprehensive review of the curriculum by a team from the Ministry of Education, which included recommendations from the National Arabic Curriculum Review Committee, an academic committee made up of state education institutions.
Schools adopting the MoE curriculum may choose to teach Arabic, Islamic education, social studies and moral education as separate subjects in the first cycle (from grades 1 to 4), using the MoE curriculum instead of the integrated “Sara Horse Series”.
The comprehensive program is assessed by a national academic committee composed of education experts and experts from various universities in the UAE, including the United Arab Emirates University, Zayed University, Mohamed bin Zayed University for the Humanities, University of Sharjah, University of Birmingham Dubai and Khalifa Education Award. The committee conducted a comprehensive assessment of the comprehensive curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of the education community and the UAE’s education strategy, while also following international best practice.
The committee met several times over the course of three months, and members discussed the guiding principles of the curriculum, delivery mechanisms, and strategies to strengthen the curriculum to achieve its goals. A comprehensive report was submitted to the Ministry of Education, which included recommendations to strengthen the medium and long-term curriculum. The decision aims to improve educational outcomes for students who are the cornerstone of the development of the education system.