Unrealistic regulations

The Ministry of Education is putting the squeeze on private schools in the country by asking them to “rectify their situation” within two years in accordance with a set of new regulations it issued recently. 

The new rules touch upon the physical environment, including the need to vacate buildings that are deemed residential, and limitations on the number of students that each private school can enrol based on their area in square metres. 

Private schools are also being asked to provide, inter alia, indoor yards. 

Private schools are naturally up in arms about the new rules, especially when they have been licensed and operating for a number of years. Normally new rules have no retroactive effect and apply only to new private schools still in the making. 

The president of the Private Schools Association views these new regulations as impractical rules that many existing schools cannot comply with despite the two-year grace period given to them, and rightly so.

Noting that schools will be left with no option but to let go of a large number of their students in order to comply with the new regulations governing the number of student, he asked what criteria should be applied to pick who can stay, who must be asked to leave. 

The Jordan Teachers Association was no less critical of the new rules. 

As one member of the JTA council pointed out, if it were not for private schools, the government would have had to establish around 2,708 schools at a cost of JD1.354 billion, in addition to paying JD361 million annually to operate them. 

How true. 

The government, in fact, owes private schools a lot as they educate a student population of 451,130.  

These private schools not only shoulder the responsibility of education on behalf of the government, but also employ 34,461 teachers.

The JTA member commented that the new regulations assume that public schools are perfect and now is the time to turn to private schools.

If the ministry wants improvements in the school environment let it first start with public schools and then apply the regulations on new schools, not those that have been operating for years.