Primary and intermediate schools will run changed Shariah syllabuses from the next academic year as the part of plans to develop curriculums in the Kingdom. The head of Shariah Sciences at the Ministry of Education's Curriculums Administration, Mubarak Al-Fawwaz, said that the changes, which have been tested over three years at selected schools and will be further adapted according to the resultant observations, included merging some subjects into one, and others being introduced at different grades. According to Al-Fawwaz, the Holy Qur'an and Tafseer (Qur'an interpretation) will become one subject for intermediate schools, as will the Qur'an and Tajweed (rules of Qur'anic recitation), which will now be taught from primary school fourth grade instead of from the fifth. The Hadith and the Prophet's life have also been merged into one for primary schools. “We have no intentions to merge any other subjects at the moment,” he said. Included in the moves are public schools and Qur'an memorization schools, the latter having seen curriculum development several years ago in the subject of recitations. The committee tasked with development has, Al-Fawwaz says, focused on “subject and age compatibility, and people's needs”, and new topics on the syllabus include shares, bonds and credit cards, “as well as some intellectual issues”. “The committee has also changed many terms with implications that could mislead, such as Takfeer (declaring a Muslim an unbeliever) and the Hudud (fixed Shariah punishments for certain crimes),” he said.
