‘Keeping pace with change is imperative’ in education reform — Queen

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah on Monday met with a group of prominent educators and academics to discuss efforts towards achieving comprehensive educational reform in Jordan.

The Queen underlined the National Strategy for Human Resources Development, which was launched in September of last year, as the all-encompassing framework for education reform, according to a statement from Her Majesty's office.

The strategy’s recommendations articulate an extensive 10-year plan for teacher training, curriculum development, early child development and the integration of technology into classrooms with the aim of improving the overall educational environment in Jordan.

Her Majesty also stressed that curriculum development should focus on improving the way students learn as a top priority. 

Queen Rania said that about two decades ago, Jordan was a renowned regional pioneer in education, before it witnessed a decline in its standing. 

“But maybe we should ask ourselves why our performance has deteriorated,” she added.

There are several interconnected reasons for this decline according to the Queen, such as the rapid increase in the size of Jordan’s population, the pressures on its infrastructure caused by refugees, as well as regional turmoil. 

However, the Queen insisted that the most important thing to remember is that criteria for success have drastically changed in recent years.

ìWhat used to work 10 years ago doesnít work now. The skills that enable people to succeed today are not the same set of skills that enabled them to succeed 10 or 15 years ago.  Thatís why keeping pace with change is imperative.î

In doing so, curriculum development should be an annual process, Queen Rania said. 

Her Majesty explained that Jordanians have always been prolific and resourceful in maximising outcomes with what little they have, compared to other countries that are better equipped. 

“So much of Jordan’s talent and expertise is not benefiting Jordan. This means we have to improve our education environment in order to attract the best talents for our students. And we want the best for our students.”

The discussion also recognised the dire need to expand training opportunities for teachers before they start their careers and while they are teaching as central to keeping pace with advancing teaching methods.

The importance of improving Tawjihi examinations (General Secondary Education Certificate Examination) to account for students’ analytical and critical thinking skills acquired over 12 years of schooling, instead of accounting for their memorisation skills, was another main point of discussion. 

Some of the educators highlighted the challenges posed by the system’s reliance on memorisation as a primary learning method even when it comes to subjects like mathematics, where analytical skills are most required.