QTRA, deans of public universities’ education faculties discuss expanding diploma programme

AMMAN — A delegation of education faculty deans from all Jordanian public universities on Saturday visited the Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QTRA) campus.

The QTRA invited them to visit as part of its stakeholder outreach initiative, to strengthen inter-sectoral ties and cooperation within the education development sector, according to a QTRA statement.

The statement sent to The Jordan Times said the delegation was received by QTRA CEO Osama Obeidat and top academy executives.

The deans went on a tour of the QRTA campus, which included an in-depth look into the various facilities and how each serves the students and educators, followed by a presentation on the programmes offered at the academy, the statement said.

On this occasion, Obeidat said: “We are delighted to have the deans of the faculties of education and we look forward to future collaboration with them and other entities in order to serve teachers and our beloved country.”

The delegation and QTRA officials also discussed expanding the academy’s Teacher Education Professional Diploma programme to Jordanian universities.

Collaboration on relevant research and studies, as well as involving university professors in the academy’s Teacher Skills Forum, was also discussed during the visit, the QTRA said in the statement.

Saleh Al Rawadya, dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Jordan said during the visit that “we are very happy with this visit and we look forward for continued cooperation to better serve teachers’ professional development. We also thank the QRTA for opening direct dialogue channels with educational sciences faculties from all universities in Jordan”.

The aim of the outreach effort is to show the importance of working closely with all educational entities to ensure the best outcomes for teachers and students, the QTRA underlined.

Moustafa Airout, dean of Al Balqa Applied University’s Irbid College, added that: “When visiting the QRTA, one can bear witness to its ongoing achievements, in collaboration with local and international partners, and the extensive efforts of Her Majesty Queen Rania, in improving education in Jordan, which is key to allowing our nation and generations to compete worldwide.”

Also present were Nawaf Shatnawi, dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Al Yarmouk University, Ahmad Thawaybeh, dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Tafila Technical University, Mahmoud Bani Abdel Rahman, dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Al Hussein Bin Talal University, Foad Talafha, dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Mutah University, Khawla Dabbas, dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Al Balqa Applied University, Mahmoud Jaradat, vice-dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the Hashemite University and Wael Al Shurman, vice-dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Al al-Bayt University.

The QRTA is a national independent non-profit organisation committed to the vision of Queen Rania of empowering educators with the skills, recognition and support necessary to excel in their classrooms, the statement highlighted.

Since its launch in 2009, the QRTA partnered up with the Ministry of Education to offer training programmes for teachers in accordance with the educational needs of Jordan and the Arab world.