Higher Education Ministry to launch plan to attract 70,000 international students

AMMAN — The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is preparing an executive plan to attract 70,000 international students to Jordanian universities by the year 2020, director of International Student Affairs Fidaa’ Tameemi told The Jordan Times on Tuesday. 

For this purpose, the ministry has established a new directorate aimed at promoting Jordan as an educational destination and at improving the experiences in the Kingdom. 

“Our purpose is to take care of all international students from their arrival to the airport to the moment they go back home,” said Tameemi, who noted that the ministry will support the students throughout “their journey”, beyond academic issues. 

In order to facilitate the provision of information to the students, the ministry has set a link in its official website, where students can find resources about the steps and documents needed in order to study in Jordanian public universities. 

The ministry has also reached out to embassies and other diplomatic bodies to “spread the word about Jordan’s openness to international students”, Tameemi noted. 

Social media will also be a channel for the promotion of Jordanian institutions, with popular networks such as Facebook or Twitter being used to inform the international community about the services Jordan has to offer. 

“In addition, we are connecting with the current international students in our institutions, who will become ambassadors of Jordan in their home countries and other countries they travel to,” Tameemi explained. 

Nerea Callejón, a Spanish exchange student at the University of Jordan, is one of those “future ambassadors” of the Kingdom: “Amman felt like home since the very first day I arrived here. Everyone is helpful and I am thankful for their great hospitality.” 

“That is why I have already recommended Jordan to my family and friends despite the short amount of time I have spent here,” said the student, who transferred from the University of Almería to the University of Jordan through an Erasmus+ scholarship. 

Lourdes Navarro, another Spanish exchange student, describes Amman as a multicultural destination. “It is a city where people from many nationalities coexist, and that makes it open and cozy,” said the student, who was attracted to Jordan because of its language and convenient geographical position for further travel. 

When asked about the benefits the plan will create, Tameemi noted that “bringing 70,000 international students to Jordan will result in an approximate annual revenue of JD2  billion, which accounts for 6.7 per cent of the national GDP”.

“Higher education institutions have the capabilities to support our national income, and we believe that the universities are an asset for the economy of the Kingdom,” he concluded. ​