Jordan, EU sign 20m-euro agreement to support Education Ministry

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury and EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana on Sunday signed a 20-million euro financing agreement aimed at supporting the Ministry of Education in dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis. 

The agreement was approved and extended through the EU Regional Trust Fund “Madad” as a more flexible and speedy response to shifting needs with the overall objective of supporting the resilience of refugees as well as that of the host communities, Fakhoury said during the signing ceremony. 

The agreement, approved in April 2016, was signed in the presence of Education Ministry Secretary General Mohammad Okour, according to a Planning Ministry statement.

The grant will cover the next two scholastic years, supporting the Ministry of Education in providing quality education in primary and secondary schools for 36,000 Syrians in refugee camps and paying 2,680 teachers’ and 400 administrators’ salaries

Furthermore, the aid will also support the students in the camps by paying their tuition fees and providing them with school books and services such as libraries, computer and science education. 

“Thanks to the EU Trust Fund, children are able to go to school and have access to safe spaces for non-formal education, protection and psycho-social care,” the minister said, thanking the EU for “its genuine partnership and commitment to support Jordan’s economic development process”. 

For his part, Fontana pointed out that “through this project, the EU signals its continuous support to the education system in Jordan, which will benefit both Jordanians and Syrians”.

“The EU has a longstanding history in supporting Jordan with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, namely ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all children,” the ambassador continued, noting that “the EU also supports Jordan this year with 33 million euros for the construction of 10 new schools under the Madad Fund”.

The total EU support for education from 2012 till 2018 reached 237.5 million euros through various support methods such as supporting the general budget and supporting international agencies’ projects in the Kingdom, said the statement.