Education Ministry, House committee strike deal over high school degrees obtained abroad

AMMAN — The Lower House Education Committee agreed with the Education Ministry earlier this week to resolve the issue of students who obtained their secondary education certificates from abroad. 

Under the agreement, reached between MPs and Education Minister Omar Razzaz, only those who obtain their certificates from countries like Sudan, Turkey and Libya after 2016 will have to undertake a proficiency exam, rather than applying the decision retroactively on those who obtained them in previous years.

“It was fine for the ministry before 2016 to accept high school certificates from abroad; therefore, thousands of our children obtained them from outside the country and then were surprised to know that their schools are no longer accredited,” Jordan Teachers Association Spokesperson Ahmad Hajaya told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

He praised Razzaz for taking such a decision that would end the struggle for hundreds of Jordanian students who travelled abroad to obtain their secondary education degree under the ministry’s permission. 

“We hope that the new minister would have a good and institutionalised relationship with the association, which is deemed a partner in the education process,” said the spokesperson.   

Last month, dozens of students and their parents picketed Parliament to protest against the Education Ministry’s decision not to accredit high school degrees from schools in Sudan, Libya and Turkey.

The decision to hold proficiency exams for students with foreign high school certificates was made last year, prompted by a secondary exam paper leak that took place in Sudan and involved Jordanian students.