Media literacy gains traction in Jordan with curricula integration

AMMAN — In the last seven years, Jordan has made significant efforts to effectively manage digital content and safeguard its citizens from hate speech, bullying and extortion. 

These efforts include integrating media awareness programmes into the curriculum for grades seven, eight and ten, and covering subjects such as civic education, social studies and computer science.

Moreover, the Ministry of Education has devised a plan to introduce media education concepts into various subjects during the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year. To ensure successful implementation, teachers and supervisors have undergone comprehensive training to acquire the skills necessary to teach the updated curricula, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

The National Curriculum Centre has played a crucial role in this endeavour, incorporating media and information education concepts into subjects such as Arabic, social studies and Islamic studies. 

The national strategy for media and information education, adopted in 2019, is now being executed by the Ministry of State for Media Affairs, targeting schools, universities, youth centres, public spaces, media outlets and civil society institutions.

UNESCO has been working on media education projects in Jordan since 2013. They started with simple efforts to integrate these skills into school lessons and activities, and later implemented comprehensive programmes in collaboration with the Jordan Media Institute with funding from the European Union.

UNESCO's projects predominantly targeted youth in Irbid, Zarqa, Maan and Mafraq. The organisation also launched an initiative to foster critical media usage among young people.

Currently, UNESCO is conducting a national study to evaluate the progress of media literacy in Jordan since 2016.

In October, Jordan will host a UNESCO conference on media literacy and misinformation, drawing participants from around the world.