The ability to read is the basis of education

The ability to read and comprehend is the cornerstone of the entire learning process. Having the ability to read opens the door wide for the individual to learn about various sciences, and having the ability to read is the only difference between learning and illiteracy, and what gives the learner many privileges that an illiterate cannot obtain!

What I am talking about here are basics that I do not think anyone can oppose, but what I would like to point out through this introduction, is the extent to which the educational system in Jordan is committed to this basic part.

In any objective discussion that reviews the process of reading and comprehension, the mother tongue must immediately jump to mind. It is true that many private schools do not consider Arabic essential in their curricula, but here we are talking about the vast majority of schools with more than one and a half million students, trying They strive to arm themselves with science and knowledge, and they will not obtain that without mastering the mother tongue in reading, writing and comprehension: about these I am talking!

In the old curricula, there was a separation between the lessons of “reading and comprehension,” “read and listen,” “archives,” and “grammar.” The authors of these curricula wanted to distinguish a lot between these classifications in order to achieve the foundation process and the accumulation of learning, during which the student would be able to possess different language skills.

In some countries that have achieved a remarkable educational renaissance, such as Finland, Singapore, North Korea, Estonia, and Japan, the educational system focuses on reading, writing, and arithmetic skills, in its simplified concept for the first five grades, and also focuses on the principles of public morals.

In our educational system, and before the World Bank report, these foundations seemed to be missing a lot. Teaching reading and comprehension skills was not a central basis in our curricula. As for reading outside the curricula, that is, enriching reading texts, it does not exist in these educational years, except in the narrowest limits, so how Can we enhance reading and comprehension skills, then?

It is good that our educational system recognized this major defect a few years ago, but on the other hand, those in charge of it should suggest quick practical solutions, so that we can overcome it, as we cannot accept, even as a “joke”, that a student reaches the “Tawjihi” high school stage. He is semi-illiterate and cannot write his name from four syllables with the correct spelling, as a former Minister of Education spoke to him. This is an outright failure of our educational system, and we cannot reconcile with it.

On the other hand, there is almost a neglect of the issue of expressive skills, which in the past was one of the indicators of brilliance among young students, and it indicated the strength of the curricula that qualify for expressive situations on which many bet, and were able to be up to the bet.

If we aspire to try to put things back in order, we must focus again on our mother tongue, and on the skills of reading, comprehension and expression in the first basic grades, and without that we would be like plowing the sea, even if the field expanded, it does not have a fertile womb.

Image Source