Palestinian Civic Education curriculum and its role in Democratic Upbringing of Basic Stage students in Palestine ( Case Study: Nablus Governorate 1994-2006)

This study aims to investigate the role of Palestinian Civic Education in democratic upbringing in basic stage classes. The motive of this study spring from the novelty of civic education aim sat reinforcing democratic concepts among students. It can also play a major role if its topics go in line with the ever going comprehensive development plans of which political developments occupies the front seat. Civic education is seen as a Palestinian societal necessity in the domain of global tendency toward democratic transition. It is also a necessity in the unique Palestinian situation. This requires Palestinian tendency and preparedness to set up an infrastructure for civic education promising of democratic upbringing within the frame of an effective educational system that is comprehensive, systematic, and modern, where it caters for the structure and nature of the Palestinian society and its Arab-Islamic roots in the aspired state of Palestine. Since its launch as an independent course in the Palestinian schools, civic education has been suffering from two obscurities: First, there is vagueness in the philosophical and conceptual frame. This leads to a lack of harmony between the educator and the teaching material which reflects on the students. The second obscurity is imposed by the predominant Palestinian social climate which is notoriously affected by the breakdown of the Israeli occupation and the political situation in Palestine. Such obscurities form an obstacle to the democratic upbringing which might otherwise satisfy the needs of the nation. Democracy in civic education here is offered from the standpoint that it is a quest to catch up with the contemporary needs. Hence, the democratic concepts in the curriculum look parallel to those in the West, not identifying what is close to them in the Arab-Islamic thought which is predominant in the Palestinian society. Such offering with the liberal and capitalist western influence is expected to generate conflict the Palestinian context due to the differences in concepts and grounds between two totally different societies, i.e. religion, culture, civilization, history, ideology, regime, and others. This study concludes that Palestinian civic education should take into consideration the fact that democracy is not a ready-made model that can be applied blindly in Palestine. In other words, democratic upbringing in Palestine should adopt only what rhymes with Palestinian values, laws, history and the peculiar circumstances.