In our current era, legal culture is considered one of the basics and necessities, especially with the multiplicity of tools that may lead to some people falling under the penalty of law due to ignorance of the law. Education today is keen to develop students’ skills in various aspects of life, and curricula are drawn up to provide male and female students with different life skills during their studies before the university stage.
However, after students enter university or institutes, a legal culture course must be allocated to all students to be taught in their first academic year. This will provide them with experience and information about the penal code, enabling them to understand what is criminal and what is permissible. This way, we protect them from slipping into prohibitions under the excuse of ignorance of the law.
It must be pointed out that ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse. Once a person reaches the age of 18, their legal status changes from juvenile to adult, and they are subject to the penal code. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the ministry of higher education to provide these students in their first academic year with a legal culture course, similar to other cultural subjects such as the Arabic language and Arab Islamic civilization.
Today, not everyone possesses a legal culture, especially since most articles of the penal code are absent from the media. Only those who study law are aware of the penalties and punishments; others are not knowledgeable. They may commit acts they believe are permissible, only to find out they have committed crimes that could lead to imprisonment.
The situation in the past was different from our current era, as crimes were limited to specific cases. However, today, with the emergence and spread of social media, there is a vast array of laws and prohibitions, and young students may fall into these traps out of ignorance, leading to imprisonment, fines, and convictions. Therefore, it is necessary for curricula to keep pace with the current era. Not all curricula need to provide students with a general culture, but they must adapt to contemporary developments to protect members of society from many problems and obstacles.
Producing well-educated and cultured generations is a societal responsibility. Efforts must be made to bring today’s youth to maturity and protect them from penalties and imprisonment due to their ignorance of the law. This would also benefit the judiciary, as case rates would decrease significantly. Many young people are currently tried and convicted because of their ignorance of the law.
Additionally, the media must focus on providing citizens with a legal culture in various aspects of life. It should educate members of society about their duties and rights in areas such as the penal code, personal status law, administrative law and social insurance law. These laws affect all members of society, ensuring that rights are not lost and that citizens can preserve their rights.
It is necessary to take care of the coming generations, as society can only develop on the shoulders of the younger generations, who are the backbone of the nation. The best investment is in human resources, as they contribute to the nation’s renaissance and prosperity. Developed countries pay great attention to human resources, preparing their youth to build the future of their country. We can do the same to achieve prosperity for our country.
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