‘Number of university students to rise by 100,000 in 15 years’

AMMAN — The number of undergraduate and postgraduate students in Jordan is expected to increase by nearly 100,000 in the next 15 years, according to the Higher Population Council (HPC).

At a recent meeting with University of Jordan deans, HPC Secretary General Sawsan Majali said the number of university students is projected to reach 375,000 in 2030, up from about 276,000 students this academic year.

Majali pointed out that the number of university students enrolled in bachelor’s and graduate degree programmes has increased by more than 5,000 during the last two years, noting that the increase in population is directly reflected on the number of university students.

She was speaking about the “Demographic opportunity and the outcomes of the educational systems” at the meeting, according to a statement released by the HPC on Saturday.

The demographic opportunity, expected in Jordan in 2030, refers to the stage in a country’s development at which the ratio of dependents to workers is lowest.

Majali called for including the concepts of reproductive health, family planning and demographic opportunity in the curricula of health colleges and health training programmes, emphasising the importance of including a chapter on population and development in mandatory civic studies for all university students.

She stressed the need to strengthen the relationship between community service programmes offered by universities and civil society organisations with regards to raising awareness on population issues.

In remarks in July, Majali said the number of jobless Jordanians is expected to reach 400,000 in 2030 if the unemployment rate continues at last year’s rate of 12.6 per cent.