Jordanians have focused on education quantity at expense of quality — PM

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Saturday called for a comprehensive strategy to develop the educational process and take it to new levels, in a manner that guarantees a better future for the coming generations. 

Noting that the country's educational sector has been a source of pride and has witnessed great achievements, he conceded that Jordanians have “ignored quality education for decades now and focused on the issue of quantity”.  

Inaugurating the 2015 Educational Development Conference, with the participation of several ministers, parliamentarians and education experts, the premier stressed the importance of sustaining achievements made so far, highlighting the importance of the two-day conference, organised by the Education Ministry, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He said Jordan boasts the highest percentage of education in the Arab and the Islamic worlds, the highest number of university graduates and the highest number of teachers working abroad; however, he added, there are current challenges that should be dealt with. 

As developments have unfolded, problems and obstacles surfaced, he said "and we have to rise to overcome them", calling on Jordanian educational institutions to benefit from international experiences, and harness local and international human resources to improve the education sector. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat said that education and higher education institutions have suffered for many years from counterproductive policies, inaction, indecisiveness and lack of accountability.

Thneibat noted the importance of regaining public trust in the education sector, noting that the topics of the conference is discussing stem from “reality and the challenges the Kingdom is facing”.

The topics of deliberation and interest of the 2015 edition of the conference are also a continuation of those discussed in the first meeting held in 1987, he told his audience, and all are meant to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the education system and act accordingly, the minister said.

The conference must result in an improved educational system based on “scientific methods, ethics, open-mindedness and critical thinking”. Educators, he added, have realised that any effort to develop the education sector is fruitless unless the law is enforced and the education process is well regulated, “especially since the phenomena of cheating and turning education into business are spread”, Thneibat said.

The minister said the Education Ministry realises that these phenomena must be combated because they “have undermined the future of our children for so long” and hindered the progress of the educational process.

Participants in the conference discussed on Saturday working papers addressing ways to improve the General Secondary Education Examination’s (Tawjihi) and how to put in place a technological infrastructure that facilitates a smooth educational process.

The attendees also discussed policies of stimulating innovation and excellence and curriculum upgrading, along with teacher training programmes.

Panellists also went over World Bank’s reports on early childhood development in Jordan and the impact of IT in facilitating learning, as well as policies to integrate students with disabilities in mainstream education.

Moreover, participants discussed a proposition to restructure vocational education specialties and evaluation tools, among other issues.