Democratization of Curriculum Development: Theorizing Naturalistic Model in Philippine Madrasah Education

Curriculum development is imperative for the overall success of the educational system more so in sustainable development efforts. In the Philippines, the institutionalization of the Madrasah Education Program in public schools provides an opportunity to ensure access to quality and relevant education among Muslim-Filipino learners. The Refined Elementary Madrasah Curriculum serves as the foundation for creating instructional decisions to actualize educational outcomes. However, since the program's inception in 2004, there are various concerns, especially in terms of the elements of the curriculum. There is a dearth of professional literature on the curriculum development practices of Madrasah Education in the Philippines, especially in the planning phase. Thus, the study sought to discuss and explore the naturalistic model as an alternative to planning the Refined Elementary Madrasah Curriculum. This study employed a literature review and used a theoretical synthesis. The analysis revealed that there is a need to democratize curriculum planning initiatives. Furthermore, the implications of the naturalistic model in terms of the platform as anchored to 'Education in Islamic Perspective' as the point of inception in the planning process is unprecedented. The concept of democratization has highlighted the narratives of relevant stakeholders as part of the deliberation to form a holistic consensus. In curriculum design, decision points must be achieved to include deliberate plans for implementation and evaluation. In conclusion, the challenge to ensuring sustainable development in Madrasah Education Program is how to formulate genuine consensus from various stakeholders and create decision points that are relevant to the Philippine context. [Note: The publication year (2022) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct publication year for this article is 2023.]