International Perspectives

Despite the Western origins of the term curriculum (from the Latin, currere meaning “to run the course”), the basic concept behind this meaning has been broadly adopted across national boundaries and cultures. Most countries of the world have identified a period of time when it is compulsory for young people to attend school. At the heart of school attendance is the curriculum: a program of study or learning that has been designed to meet the needs of young people themselves as well as the communities in which they live. Yet the content and structure of the curriculum is not uniform across countries. Local priorities and issues, local cultures, and local pressures come together to influence the form that the curriculum takes. This emphasis on the ...