By Mohammad Ghazal

AMMAN - Experts from Columbia University’s Teachers College (TC) will train Jordanian educators on modern and innovative teaching methods at the Queen Rania Teachers Academy (QRTA), which was launched on Sunday.

Inaugurating the academy yesterday, Her Majesty Queen Rania highlighted the importance of investing in the professional development of teachers and offering students learning opportunities that prepare them to meet international standards.

“Today, as boundaries blur and travel increases, a son of Jordan not only competes for a job with his fellow Jordanians, but with highly qualified people in the global marketplace. This should encourage us to pursue excellence, because Jordan always strives to provide the best opportunities for her people,” said the Queen.

“Through this academy, we aim to seek and form exceptional teachers and make them the best they can be, so that they can return the profession to its halcyon days, where teachers are, once more, the most respected and prestigious members of society,” she said.

According to the Ministry of Education, there are around 83,000 teachers staffing the Kingdom’s schools.

QRTA’s outreach activities are primarily intended to strengthen the quality of educators in Jordan and to train a new generation of teachers, according to the academy.

Over the next five years, QRTA and the TC aim to establish school networks for instructional improvement, which will focus on particular content areas such as the English language or science.

The networks are to gather a team of teachers from each school, who will work to implement new strategies formed at the academy and share experiences with their colleagues.

At the ceremony, Queen Rania also expressed hope that the Teachers Academy would bring back the qualities and values that have historically made the teaching profession a respected and prestigious occupation.

“Years ago in the Arab world, the job of being a teacher went beyond merely passing information to students; rather, a teacher was his students’ guide, inspiration and counsellor,” said the Queen.

Her Majesty also described the academy’s professional development programmes, which will be implemented in close cooperation with a range of regional and local educational partners through the support of the TC.

Stressing that education tops national priorities, the Queen said: "We are proud of the quality of education in our country as it is the best among Arab states, even though our expenditure on education is not the highest in the region."

Following her remarks, a brief presentation was given highlighting QRTA’s activities and the anticipated role the institution will play in enhancing educational reform in Jordan.

At the event, the Queen listened to four Jordanian public schoolteachers who spoke passionately about their experiences, challenges and benefits they received from training courses.

During a brief tour of the academy’s premises, Queen Rania viewed a map of the school networks’ programme featuring progress in selected schools as well as a visual projection of future developments.

After the opening ceremony, Queen Rania witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between QRTA and Columbia University’s Teachers College.

QRTA, established as an independent entity in 2008 under the auspices of the Jordan Education Society, currently includes induction programmes for new teachers and principals in Arabic, English, mathematics, science and generalist teaching (grades 1-3). The academy’s courses also focus on leadership training and providing classroom experiences for teachers prior to employment.

Founded in 1887, the TC is affiliated with Columbia University, the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the US.