UAE imposes normalisation in schools curriculum
Israeli reports revealed that the UAE started imposing normalization with Israel in its curriculum, in an indication of Abu Dhabi’s involvement in normalization.
Emirati schools began teaching their students the peace agreement with the Israeli occupation state in school textbooks after announcing the normalization of its relations with Israel, according to the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharonot.
The newspaper stated that Emirati textbooks have already begun to study issues of cooperation, peace, fundamental Islamic values and the Emirati national characteristics.
The newspaper pointed out that the books cited the agreement signed between the UAE and “Israel” in Washington, just two weeks after the announcement of the deal between the two sides.
The newspaper pointed out that the Israeli “Impact-C” Institute, which is a research and policy institute, analyzes textbooks and curricula from the perspective of the standards set by UNESCO on peace and tolerance.
It explained that the institute issued a preliminary report to assess the current “moral education curriculum” for the UAE, which is taught in all public and private schools. From the first to the twelfth grade.
The newspaper pointed out that the UAE went through a lengthy process to “reform” textbooks as part of its process towards “modernization and national development.”
She stated that part of the Moral Education curriculum consists of 4 units: personality and morals, the individual and society, cultural studies, and civic studies, all of which aim to establish a comprehensive educational system that mixes personal development and civic education with traditional subjects.
The report stated that the main findings of the “Impact-C” report include “positive developments” across a set of courses that include: diversity and inclusiveness, as it encourages students to view diversity positively and as a source of national pride, adding that by recognizing the importance of respecting different cultures and beliefs, it aims The approach is to eliminate discrimination.
The Hebrew newspaper reported that the Emirati curriculum highlights peace as the ultimate goal of the global community in school textbooks since the fourth grade, and students learn that one of the national characteristics of the UAE is to give central importance to the value of the peaceful resolution of disputes.
Markus Schiff, CEO of the Impact-C Institute, told the website that it is striking that a textbook informs about the Emirati-Israeli agreement on the desks of schoolchildren in the UAE, only two weeks after the announcement of the agreement.
Marcus indicated that the agreement is not presented to students as a fact only in the textbook, but rather provides them with religious, ethical and patriotic reasons to support the agreement and to use critical thinking, in carrying out an exercise on the importance of peacemaking.
Last Tuesday, the UAE and Bahrain signed two agreements for normalization with Israel, an event that US President Donald Trump described as “historic,” despite the widespread Palestinian rejection and condemnation of him officially and publicly.
