The curriculum is considered the tool for achieving the objectives of education, and since it is influenced by several factors, including: (the student and their characteristics, the nature of the environment, the nature and characteristics of society, its needs, social and economic problems, cultural aspects, and scientific, educational, and technological developments), and since each of these factors is subject to change and development, and is affected by both internal and external variables, the process of curriculum development over time becomes necessary. Efforts must be made to develop it in the best way possible. Development should be based on studying the reality in all its dimensions and aspects, determining its potentials, problems, and requirements.

At a time when the concept of illiteracy has evolved and become more complex, covering advanced educational levels, including language illiteracy, information illiteracy, and levels of knowledge, we observe the decline in Iraq’s educational infrastructure, which is increasingly distant from keeping up with the intellectual and scientific developments happening in the world. Despite the abundant human and material resources available, there is stagnation and rigidity in the traditional formats, methods, and approaches of the school curriculum and educational resources that were created for the primary, intermediate, and preparatory levels. These curricula have exhausted their purposes and goals, and today, they face increasingly complex and dangerous challenges that threaten the intellectual system, values, and national and religious identity of the Iraqi individual and society. Iraqi curricula are in urgent need of development and modernization to keep up with the political, social, and economic changes occurring in the world today, making educational content (the curriculum) a dynamic and flexible tool that incorporates developmental dimensions aimed at building the students’ abilities, capacities, skills, and intellectual potentials, which serve as mechanisms and tools for enhancing human action and social behavior. In other words, educational content should function in two parallel directions: one that works on developing mental and intellectual capacities (which is done by subjects such as mathematics, natural sciences, physics, chemistry, and biology), and the other works on developing psychological, emotional, ethical, and social orientations through skills and various behavioral patterns (which is done by subjects like Islamic studies, Arabic language, history, geography, national economics, English language, and the arts).

Taking into account the intellectual and scientific progression for these categories, and the cultural and artistic specificity of society, the need for curriculum development today goes beyond the scientific, material, and technical aspects. It is equally essential to achieve a balance between these aspects. This balance is necessary for building individual and social awareness among school students and preparing them to assume responsibilities, as well as building social life, which is what most educational curricula in advanced societies have worked on after receiving complete support and attention from their governmental and community institutions through planning, financing, legislation, and monitoring to improve performance quality and ensure that results are achieved.

Among the negatives, which are considered a drawback in the educational reality of Iraq, is that the curricula are more rote than motivational. Students play no role or have any impact. They do not focus on building and developing the student’s culture, skills, abilities, and potentials—both mentally, intellectually, individually, and socially. This makes the student’s role in the classroom passive; they merely receive information in a cumulative, vertical manner that leads to a limited, immediate effect, rather than receiving conceptual knowledge that has a practical and applied nature. Moreover, the relationship between the student and the subject teacher is negative due to the nature of the curriculum and the teaching method used. This is a coercive and rigid approach that does not rely on constructive and fruitful dialogue. The curricula are far removed from the student’s material and moral needs, causing the student to feel alienated from the subject matter or even strongly antagonistic toward it. Furthermore, the way the material is presented justifies the student’s absenteeism and evasion of school, as it does not align with their intellectual and psychological needs or inclinations. Additionally, it does not foster self-reliance in solving problems.

In the process of curriculum development in Iraq, it is essential to enhance students’ abilities and potentials through understanding the educational crisis in Iraq, its causes, and comparative Arab projects. It is important to incorporate subjects like “Human Resource Development” and “Knowledge Society Development” into the curriculum, as well as to provide training and development programs that will enhance the intellectual and self-capacities of school students. This includes integrating new technologies (such as computers, the internet, seminars, and CDs) within the prescribed curricula and introducing new concepts and knowledge to build and fortify students.

There should also be a focus on rural areas in training and development programs to improve the educational, cultural, and social levels, as they are in dire need of such efforts.

Furthermore, the role of educational counselors (psychological and social) in various stages of education should be activated, along with the establishment of workshops, seminars, and ongoing conferences for students’ parents, engaging them in the responsibility of monitoring and following up on the students’ academic, ethical, and educational progress.

M. Hooraya Kazem Jawad Kazem Al-Khazai / College of Islamic Sciences – University of Karbala