Schools urged to prepare students for ‘responsible’ visits to archaeological sites

JERASH — Inadequate coordination among state institutions can makes school trips “a threat” to Jordan’s archaeological sites, sector insiders said.

Thursday saw numerous school students “roaming” the ancient city of Jerash, 45km north of Amman, making it resemble a “playground”, according to witnesses.

A tour guide interviewed by The Jordan Times described the situation as “unbearable”. 

Preferring to remain anonymous, the guide said that the Greco-Roman site receives many students each day, claiming that they often litter, play football and loud music and “annoy” other visitors.

Jerash Tourism Director Mashael Khasawwneh told The Jordan Times that coordination with the Education Ministry should be strengthened to ensure that students abide by the site’s regulations and behave responsibly when visiting such important historical locations.

“We are not saying that no trips should be conducted, however, excursions should be organised in a responsible manner,” Khasawneh said.

“Some schools contact our directorate in advance, which is appreciated, as it gives us the chance to coordinate and ensure a safe, responsible and organised educational tour of the site,” she added.

The Tourism Ministry has launched campaigns in cooperation with the Education Ministry and the Jordan Tourist Guide Association to raise students’ awareness of the importance of ancient sites, Khasawneh noted.

Regarding the maximum capacity for the site, Jerash Antiquities Director Ahmed Melhem noted that the 550-dunum site can accommodate large numbers of visitors. However, the visiting students should be monitored in order to ensure their personal safety and the monuments’ preservation, he said.

“We urge teachers to bring litter bags with them and to exert control over their students so that they do not litter the site and do not graffiti, and so that they respect the privacy of other visitors,” Melhem said.

He also called for guidelines to be included in school curricula to educate students about respecting and preserving archaeological sites. 

Violators would be referred to the concerned agencies, in cooperation with the Tourist Police, if they are caught committing such violations, the director warned.

Yousef Zreigat, a tourism expert, stressed the importance of educating students on taking part in responsible and eco-friendly tours, as well as training teachers.

“The family plays the most important role, when parents teach their children how to appreciate archaeological sites and nature,” the expert added. 

Hakam Zatimeh, a school teacher, said that “teachers receive no training from the Ministry of Education on how to organise school trips to archaeological sites.”

For school principals, “the safety of the students is paramount,” he added.

Another teacher, Awni Masalha, stressed that “most of the teachers know how to protect the sites and they instruct students about it, but it is hard to implement on the ground, for reasons like the unbalanced student-to-teacher ratio.”

Masalha added that “some teachers give assignments during the trips about the importance of the sites. However, students are not enthusiastic about the assignments as they are not a part of the curricula and students don’t get marks for completing them.”