Education Ministry, UNICEF launch ‘Learning Bridges’ to help 1 million children recover learning in Jordan

AMMAN — The Ministry of Education on Sunday launched Learning Bridges programme, an innovative blended learning programme, supported by UNICEF, to help one million students recover and accelerate their learning following the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a statement from the UN agency.

Learning Bridges is a series of weekly activities based on the core curriculum that will be distributed by schools to all students from Grades 4 to 9 to accelerate children and young people’s learning and support parents, teachers, students and communities to work together to adapt to the new normal of combining learning at home and school, the  statement said.

Minister of Education Tayseer Nueimi said: “Learning Bridges is an innovative solution that enables students to recover and accelerate their learning whether schools are open, partially closed or closed. It does so by effectively bridging the link between home and school, technology and textbooks, knowledge and applied learning. 

“Together with UNICEF, the ministry is making this resource available for every teacher, parent and student from Grade 4 to 9 in Jordan.”

 Nueimi added that Learning Bridges programme is complementary to DARSAK II platform, and the weekly learning activities included in the programme shall enable students to apply the concepts covered by the platform practically. Such activities are in line with the weekly curriculum. 

These activities also help to enhance educational concepts in curriculum and addressing previous learning gaps, he said, indicating that the initiative enables parents and teachers to support their children in compensating for educational losses.

 The minister further explained that education is enhanced by employing a comprehensive, cross-curricular approach, whereby students receive a printed activity sheet that connects the key learning outcomes of the four core subjects (Arabic, English, Mathematics and Science) provided for in the curriculum for that week. 

Every child is going to receive printed materials, links to additional online resources from the school that would enhance the learning process. 

The minister emphasised that students are in need of their teachers’ support, even in distance learning, to offer the necessary advice and feedback on their progress. 

Nueimi referred to the new online training resource available for teachers to introduce how to implement Learning Bridges and to share good practices in distance learning.

He called on teachers, parents, students and schools to employ and invest in these learning materials, so that “we build together bridges between schools and homes and between textbooks, technology and knowledge, in order to achieve life-based learning”. 

Furthermore, the practical aspect of learning is strengthened and the focus shall be on the skill, not the information, he added.

 “Children’s learning should never stop, even in the face of a global pandemic like COVID-19,” said UNICEF Jordan Representative Tanya Chapuisat. 

“UNICEF is proud to support the Ministry of Education to develop this new resource that will help recover and reimagine learning for every child,” Chapuisat added.