Calls for reopening kindergartens get louder

AMMAN — Kindergarten owners and families on Monday called on the government to reopen their establishments to ease up the life of working parents and secure employees and landlords a steady income.

Private School Owners Association’s (PSOA) President Monther Sorani urged the government to reopen kindergartens because its “closure is adding burden on the owners and families alike”.

“We have between 1,500 to 1,600 kindergartens in the Kingdom that were closed since March then opened briefly in September before being ordered to shut its doors again,” Sorani told The Jordan Times.

The PSOA president added that this brief opening which lasted almost two weeks in September “created chaos and frustrations for both parents and the owners”.

“Many families paid the fees, while others did not, and at the same time the kindergarten owners are left with many bills to pay for their employers and other running expenses,” Sorani said. 

“When the kindergartens opened in September, they adhered to the strict health rules and the physical distancing,” he added.

“I do not see any problem with reopening these establishments because they can host up to 40 students each to be spread in six or seven classes, which is in accordance with the health regulations,” Sorani added.

Meanwhile, the coordinator of the National Campaign to Reopen Kindergartens Dima Qaisi told The Jordan Times that the government took a decision to open nurseries but not kindergartens.

“I really do not understand why the government allowed nurseries but not kindergartens since both are important in terms of strengthening the education base for the children,” Qaisi said.

She added that “all the kindergartens and nurseries in the world are affiliated to one governmental entity except here in Jordan where the nurseries are affiliated to the Ministry of Social Development and the kindergartens are affiliated to the Ministry of Education”.

“Both the nurseries and the kindergartens run under the same system, but the only difference is the entity that issues the licence and the fact nurseries were allowed to reopen,” Qaisi, who is a kindergarten owner, added.

She also pointed out the economic hardships that are facing kindergarten owners since they must pay rental fees, salaries, social security contribution as well as water, Internet and electricity bills.

On October 22, the government decided to allow nurseries to operate following a major campaign that was launched by local NGOs and parents of children who were affected the most.

Lara, owner of a marketing agency and a mother of two, including a five-year-old daughter, said closing kindergartens is “frustrating and unfair to children”.

“The impact of distance education on my daughter is negative because children at this age need to learn social skills, writing, reading, listening, and how to communicate with their peers and this cannot be accomplished via a computer,” Lara told The Jordan Times.

On the other hand, Lara added, teachers cannot deliver good quality education and new methods of teaching without personal interactions.

She pointed out that she can afford a nanny to watch over her children at home because she is a working mother, “but what about working parents who have limited financial resources and cannot afford domestic help?”

“This situation is heartbreaking and frustrating because my younger child who is three years old can go to the nursery where she can communicate and play with her peers, while my older daughter is forced to stay home to attend classes from behind a screen.”