Ministry of Education Reinstates the Credit System
In light of the proposals to reintroduce the credit-based system in secondary education with a new design, this step deserves welcome and serious study, given that, when well-designed and implemented, it offers flexibility in course selection, accommodates individual differences, and grants students greater responsibility in shaping their academic plans. However, returning to the previous system with minor modifications may not be sufficient to address the scientific, technological, and professional transformations the world is currently experiencing.
According to the principles of systematic educational reform, any new system should be piloted in a representative sample of schools before general implementation, allowing for an evaluation of its effectiveness, identification of implementation requirements, and detection and remediation of shortcomings prior to wider adoption. Clear indicators of success should be established before the pilot begins, such as academic achievement levels, failure and absenteeism rates, students’ ability to select their courses, the workload on teachers and administrative units, and the accuracy of grade point average calculations. The results should then be compared with those from schools that continue using the current system, and a transparent summary of the evaluation should be published before a decision on nationwide rollout is made. Students’ futures should not serve as a testing ground for a large-scale experiment whose consequences would be difficult to reverse after affecting tens of thousands of students.
While retaining the scientific and literary tracks, the project can offer genuine flexibility through elective course packages within each track, without introducing new designations that might confuse university admissions. A science-track student interested in engineering could deepen their studies in mathematics, physics, and design; a student aiming for medicine and health sciences could choose more advanced courses in biology, chemistry, and health literacy; while a student interested in computing could take courses in programming, computer science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
Similarly, the literary track should not impose a single plan on all students. A student pursuing law would benefit from courses in legal culture, logic, and legal writing; one interested in Islamic studies could expand their studies in Arabic language, jurisprudence, and Islamic history; while a student interested in media and the arts could choose courses in creative writing, public speaking, theater, fine arts, graphic design, photography, and digital media. In this way, students find courses that support their interests and provide them with an initial vision of their future.
Freedom of choice does not succeed merely by presenting a long list of courses. Each school needs genuine academic advising that helps students understand university major requirements and align their choices with their abilities, results, and interests, rather than with fleeting desires or peer imitation. It should also be possible to modify some choices within clear guidelines, so that an early decision does not become a permanent constraint.
These courses should not be introduced through an isolated educational decree by the Ministry of Education, but in coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education, Kuwait University, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAEAT), and private universities, so that the weight of each course in admissions and its impact on available majors are clearly understood. This would prevent students from discovering after graduation that the courses they selected hold no value in their university pathways. How many scientific courses have we studied that exhausted us, consumed our effort and years to pass, yet yielded no discernible benefit in our professional or practical lives?
One colleague remarked: “The most beautiful aspect of the elective courses in the previous credit system was that they accepted only a limited number of students, which itself made us feel distinguished. We grew up and forgot most of the compulsory courses, but we never forgot the sweetness of the elective courses through which we discovered ourselves and our talents.”
