Queen briefed on progress made under National Strategy for Human Resource Development

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Sunday received an update on the achievements made under the National Strategy for Human Resource Development, a statement by Her Majesty's Office said.

Her Majesty was briefed by Minister of Education Omar Razzaz, economic adviser to His Majesty King Abdullah Mohamad Al Ississ, and several members of the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development team.

The meeting began with a discussion on progress made in the field of Early Childhood Development and Education, which includes the establishment of 418 public and private kindergarten classrooms across the country, with plans to launch 315 more, as well as UNICEF’s modernisation of an additional 50 kindergarten classes. Additionally, 1,200 students and 1,100 parents completed school readiness training.

Meanwhile, construction of 40 new primary and secondary schools has been completed. A total of 27 school buildings have also been expanded, with an additional 171 new classrooms opened across the country. Furthermore, the number of rented school buildings has decreased from 23 to 21 per cent in the 2017-2018 academic year.

The meeting also addressed the status of recent graduates of the Teacher Education Professional Diploma, which was established by the Queen Rania teacher Academy (QRTA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, University of Jordan, and University College London’s Institute of Education. 

In addition to training the diploma’s second cohort, which consists of 480 teachers, QRTA is currently developing a vocational programme on early childhood development, which is set to launch in October 2018.

The meeting included a conversation on the headway made by the National Centre for Curriculum Development in revising science and mathematics curricula and assessment methods for kindergarten to grade 12. 

Work is currently under way to develop a comprehensive in-service training programme for teachers, aiming to equip them with skills to teach the upgraded and modernised curricula and improve students’ performance. International education companies, specialised in the development of modern school books and learning aids, will train teachers on how to teach the new curricula in collaboration with the National Centre for Curriculum Development, Ministry of Education, and QRTA.

The Queen was also briefed on measures that have been taken to update Tawjihi exams, including allowing students to repeat their exams an unlimited number of times. 

In an effort to ensure a high standard of children’s well-being and health, 350,000 students across 1,868 public schools have taken part in the Schools Nutrition Project, which targets children from preschool to grade six. 

Additionally, 151 schools have received accreditation under the Royal Health Awareness Society’s Healthy Schools programme, while 25,200 students across Jordan have taken part in the national summer programme, Basma, which aims to foster a strong national identity and sense of belonging among the nation’s youth.

The National Strategy for Human Resource Development 2016-2025 was launched in September 2016 based on recommendations outlined by the National Committee for Human Resources, which His Majesty King Abdullah instructed the government to form in March 2015.