The major parts of the world are in constant turmoil and chaos due to terrorism, religious extremism, violence, genocide and massive population dislocation often perpetuated by “well educated” people of every color and creed. Advancement in STI alone cannot solve this complex challenge, unless moral, social and ethical values are incorporated in the school curriculum.
To address this global challenge, there is need for a curriculum for kids that enables them to learn morality and social code of conduct in their early age and build profound understanding that all human beings are the same under the skin. Such a curriculum will help promote global peace and produce the rational citizens with sense of ownership and feeling to live in coexistence and harmony.
ECOSF is contributing towards this project by the Inter-Academy Partnership Science Education Programme (IAP SEP) entitled, “Fusion of One Belt One Road (OBOR) Civilizations Curriculum Design (FoCEd)” in collaboration with ISTIC Malaysia, the China Association of Children’s Science Instructors (CACSI), Children and Youth Science Center of China Association of Science and Technology- CAST (CYSC) of China Association of Science and Technology (CAST) under the mega initiative of China- One Belt One Road (OBOR).
Under this initiative, ECOSF has collaborated with partners to develop curriculum modules with concentration on water resources, land silk road, maritime silk road and architecture. The first draft has been developed and further improvements are continuing in process. It highlights the different aspects of ancient scientific discoveries along the BRI countries including the historic Golden Age of Islam and S&T heritage of the ECO Region. This curriculum aims to demonstrate that no one civilization is superior to another and each has benefited from interactions through trade and travel from others and science is universal.
The idea is to bring together learned historians of S&T and curriculum design experts from Europe, China, Islamic world, Africa, Central Asia and India to discuss the outstanding discoveries in their own civilizations and work together to translate such discoveries into school curriculum material of use to teachers and students. The core objective of development of this curriculum is to foster peace right at the beginning of young children by employing Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) approach among the countries that share a common heritage of the ancient Silk Road.