Ministry to lend every public school JD1,000; syndicate says more needed

AMMAN — The Education Ministry has decided to lend JD1,000 to each public school after endorsing its budget, a step the teachers’ syndicate commended but described as “insufficient”.

Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat announced the initiative during a visit to a number of schools in the Wadi Araba and Wadi Feynan regions on Wednesday, noting that the money will go to cover “urgent” needs.

Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) Spokesperson Ayman Okour said schools’ essential needs “cannot be covered by such a small amount of money”, but through a holistic plan implemented in cooperation with stakeholders.

“Most of the Kingdom’s 3,700 public schools suffer abject poverty. They cannot meet the minimal administrative requirements or students’ needs of chairs, stationery, water and electricity,” Okour told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

According to official figures, there are 3,760 public schools in Jordan, where 1.287 million students are enrolled, and around 80,000 teachers and 10,000 principals work.

Sources of income should be diversified to address financial challenges, the JTA spokesperson said, noting that schools currently rely on fees (donations) provided by students as their main source of funds.

“Many schools in our country have extra spaces that can be exploited for commercial and agricultural purposes without affecting the education process,” Okour suggested.

He added that schools can involve the local community as many are willing to donate money or their time by participating in renovation work on classrooms.

Thneibat noted that the move is part of a series of measures taken by the ministry to improve the quality of education, such as sending a number of students from remote areas to complete their higher education in specialisations needed in their respective regions.

In addition, the ministry is conducting a survey on the number of new schools needed to replace rented premises and address overcrowding, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

The JTA spokesperson commended these efforts, but underlined the need to engage the association and civil society organisations in endeavours in order to reach better and more comprehensive outcomes.

In his recent remarks at a conference on education held by the Lower House-based “Mubadara” group, Thneibat noted that the ministry is “working on many files” and that is “unfair” to expect it to perform “miracles in a short period of time”.