RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education has decided to combine subjects of the Holy Qur'an and Islamic studies into one subject in elementary and intermediate phases of public school education in the Kingdom. This decision is part of the new guide of the updated study plans approved by the ministry on Sunday for the new academic year. The ministry stated that it has stopped working with the guide of previous study plans, which was issued in the last academic year, and started working in accordance with the new guide for the current year of 1444 AH. The ministry has issued directives in this regard to all public education schools, kindergartens, schools for memorizing the Holy Qur'an, schools of special education and continuing education, scientific institutes, religious institutes in Makkah and Madinah, and national identity programs in international schools. The ministry explained that this new developed guide represents the second phase of the updated study plans, which is compatible with work according to the three-semester system that was approved by the ministry during the last academic year. According to the new guide, the subjects of Islamic studies and the Holy Qur'an in the elementary and intermediate schools will be combined into one subject under the name of the Holy Qur'an and Islamic Studies. The total classes of the subject have been reduced from 34 weekly classes in the intermediate level to 15 classes while the number of classes in the elementary level reduced from 38 classes to 30 classes. The subject of financial knowledge that was approved in the first year of secondary phase has been shared in the tracks system for the secondary phase. There have been no other significant changes in the study plans except increase in the weekly study hours of some subjects and decrease of study hours of some other subjects.
