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RIYADH: ��������’s National Curriculum Center has unveiled a comprehensive overhaul of educational content for the upcoming academic year, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. 

The update introduces new subjects including Artificial Intelligence; Cybersecurity; Tourism and Hospitality; Fashion, Art and Design’ and First Aid — a “strategic modernization effort aligning with Saudi Vision 2030,” according to the SPA.

The new curricula were developed through partnerships with key ministries and authorities, and “prioritize critical thinking and technical competencies while integrating innovative teaching methods.” 

The framework extends learning beyond classrooms into daily school activities including assemblies and national celebrations, “creating a holistic educational ecosystem,” the SPA wrote.  

Abdulrahman Al-Ruwaili, CEO of the NCC, told the SPA that these changes represent a fundamental shift. 

He said: “The curriculum is no longer confined to textbooks, but encompasses all student experiences, positioning books as just one tool within a broader educational environment.”

The AI curriculum for secondary electives, developed by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies along with the Saudi Data and AI Authority, “employs self-learning to build digital-era skills.” 

The Cybersecurity elective — created with the National Cybersecurity Authority — trains students in digital protection for themselves and their devices.  

Tourism studies, developed with the Ministry of Tourism, now teach sustainable tourism principles and event management. 

For female secondary students, the Fashion Art and Design elective covers global design fundamentals while developing practical marketing and supplier-engagement skills.  

A new First Aid curriculum developed with the Saudi Red Crescent Authority prepares students to handle medical emergencies including burns and cardiac events.  

Chinese instruction will expand to the second intermediate grade after last year’s rollout, with more than 70 private schools joining the program, which will expand in phases through to 2029. 

English courses for grades five and six now feature interactive stories to develop language skills alongside critical thinking.  

New teaching guides include a structured Qur’anic studies manual compatible with the Madrasati platform and a Nursery Stage guide promoting play-based learning. The latter includes family engagement manuals, recognizing parents as active partners in early education.  

Student activities now formally integrate citizenship programs, science competitions (including AI challenges), sports, and cultural arts such as heritage design during non-instructional time.  

The NCC will continue to set up private-sector collaborations to “license international content and ensure timely textbook distribution,” the SPA added.

RIYADH: Italian food aficionados in �������� might want to consider changing their travel plans to include Qatif, the small coastal city which is about to get a major culinary upgrade as its first fine-dining restaurant prepares to open its doors.

Saudi chef Ali Al-Jishi, a 23-year-old graduate of the Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, will launch Osteria Dal Nonno after studying under the acclaimed Italian chef Francesco Gasbarro in training reminiscent of scenes from TV series “The Bear.” The restaurant is expected to open in around three months at C-Front in Qatif.

Although he harbored ambitions to study at culinary school for a long time, Al-Jishi’s parents took some convincing that it could lead to a successful career, he said. After eventually winning them over, he travelled to Switzerland as part of the Kingdom’s first batch of Cultural Scholarship students in 2019.

“I thought it was going to be easy,” said Al-Jishi. “Like, ‘We’re just going to cook and eat some food.’ But no, it’s not like that at all.”

The training encompassed every little detail of what it takes to run a restaurant — from the nutritional value of every ingredient to accounting.

Al-Jishi did his first internship in Geneva under Gasbarro, who has two Michelin-starred restaurants, and a Bib Gourmand for Osteria Della Bottega.

“The first three months were very hard, he didn’t allow me to cook in the kitchen,” Al-Jishi said, explaining that he was on mise-en-place duty, meaning his job was to prepare the ingredients and ensure that all the necessary equipment was ready to use.

“I started downstairs in a small room under the kitchen. It was very dark,” said Al-Jishi. “He was giving me 20 kilos of cherry tomatoes to cut into cubes every day. He had me picking the leaves off of parsley stems. And if I went up to him with a tray full of leaves and he saw one small stem, he would tell me to throw them all away and do it again.”

Gasbarro tried to scare him off a culinary career, telling him that “no one” makes it to the end of the six-month internship and that most quit or fail after two or three months. He also expressed doubts about how a young Saudi would fare in a high-end Italian kitchen.

After three months of grueling training that could have come straight out of “The Bear,” Al-Jishi finally moved to the kitchen, and eventually successfully finished the six-month internship.

“He was very strict, but it was actually a good thing. I learned more in the internship than I did at university,” said Al-Jishi. “I entered the restaurant on my first day as someone and I left as someone else.”

Al-Jishi knew that he wanted to return to �������� and open a fine-dining restaurant in his hometown. And he knew he wanted it to be a place where people can enjoy authentic Italian cuisine and a high-end dining experience. The name of the restaurant, he said, is a nod to his school days.

“Everyone saw how obsessed I am with Italian food and Italian people, so they asked me: ‘Do you have anyone in your family that’s Italian?’ To which I replied ‘Yes, my grandfather is Italian’ as a joke.”

And thus Osteria Dal Nonno (Grandpa’s Restaurant) was born.

Everything on the menu will be made from scratch — including 12 different kinds of pasta — and every dish has been meticulously curated. Al-Jishi gave Arab News a sneak peak of what to expect.

One feature dish is gnudi — a ricotta dumpling served with burnt onion, a butter sauce, and mushroom cream.

The chef also highlighted manzo — Italian dry-aged steak grilled on charcoal served on a bed of arugula salad and topped with parmesan and balsamic vinegar — and slow-cooked beef cheeks served with dark chocolate and smoked mozzarella on homemade focaccia.

Dessert will include a classic tiramisu, crème brulee, and “special” gelatos, including Al-Jishi’s favorite — Italian basil.

Breakfast dishes are inspired by Greek, French and local Qatifi fare. For example, the beloved Qatifi breakfast dish siwiya is getting an Italian remix and being made with angel hair pasta.

Al-Jishi has also focused on hiring mainly Saudi talent — especially Qatifis. He wants to be able to contribute to the growth of the city, and said that the restaurant is about giving the people of Qatif a place where they can celebrate marriages, graduations or just a good night out locally.

“I want people to see how Qatifi chefs can do big things,” he added.

In December, Al-Jishi opened a pop-up in C-Front in Qatif for three weeks to test out some of his food with the crowds and get a buzz going. It was a little difficult for the first few days because a lot of people were unfamiliar with real Italian dishes and kept asking for “pink sauce” or “chicken pasta,” he said. But once they tried his authentic offerings and word got out, Al-Jishi was making more than 300 servings of pasta a day with his friends.

Echoing his own internship experience, Al-Jishi wants Osteria Dal Nonno to be a place where other students and culinary graduates can spend time learning. He’s already had calls with ZADK Saudi Culinary Academy in Alkhobar to discuss future internships.

Al-Jishi is also opening the takeout-and-delivery-only Crumbs & Curry (serving katsu curry), which he said could potentially evolve into a casual dine-in spot.

As if that wasn’t enough, Al-Jishi also hosted several culinary courses in 2024, five for children and one for adults. “I want people to see how cooking can change the way you feel inside,” he said.

In that regard, Al-Jishi hopes to one day open his own academy where people can learn to make pastries, baked goods, pasta and even Arabic food.

“We should not forget about Arabic food because Arabic food is not easy,” he said. “I can’t say that I’m good at it, even now. For me, it’s harder than Italian food.”