Summer webinars to explore mechanisms for providing education to all during pandemic

AMMAN — The Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD) and the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), is convening a series of webinars during the months of June and July under the slogan “Education for all: Sustainable methodologies in response to COVID-19 in Jordan”.

According to an HCD statement made available to The Jordan Times, these webinars are in line with the 10-year strategy for inclusive education and in response to the emergency situation the world is witnessing.

The series of webinars aims to raise awareness on ways and mechanisms to ensure the inclusion of vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalised groups and persons with disabilities in educational services provided during the complete lockdown and the nationwide closure of all educational entities, as well as during the subsequent recovery phase, the statement said. 

Furthermore, the seminars aim to identify challenges to the educational process and sector during the pandemic and efforts exerted towards raising awareness on inclusion, reaffirming the need to continue such efforts to ensure that the provision of educational services is accessible to all students and that each group of students in the Kingdom falls under the umbrella of the 10-year strategy for inclusive education.

Among the topics to be discussed in the webinars are: “Learning Together: Inclusive Distance Learning Programmes”; “Ensuring Psychological and Social Well-Being in Teaching and Learning”; “Practical Approaches to Support All Learners Learning from Home”, “Best Practices Towards Inclusive Methods from Jordan”; “Roles and Responsibilities: Are Parents the New Teachers?” and “Building a Better Future”.

The series of webinars — which were slated to begin on June 8 — will utilise and ensure the provision of reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities through direct writing on the screen, interpretation into sign language and provision of an external link for simultaneous translation into the Arabic language, as the webinars are being conducted in English. All webinars will be recorded, downloaded and presented via specific channels over the web, with Arabic translation at the link https://bit.ly/2BJZVgF, the statement noted.

HCD Secretary General Muhannad Al Azzeh reiterated the importance of such webinars in creating a space for exchanging and sharing experiences, as well as presenting the most recent pilot practices in education by and with stakeholders and partners. 

He also highlighted the importance of raising awareness on mainstream prerequisites and requirements within programmes and plans of educational institutions to ensure that information is accessible to all students, including students with disabilities, according to the statement.

Director of the ministry’s Education Managing Directorate Sami Mahasis stressed the importance of cooperation during the current stage on the continuity and sustainability of education for all. 

The ministry, he said, will continue in that direction and towards that vision through all its personnel and resources. He added that these series of webinars “represent an opportunity for everyone to learn more about what is offered to students with disabilities, for improvement and development”.

For her part, head of the GIZ Education Cluster and Project Manager of the Promoting Quality in Inclusive Education in Jordan project (PROMISE) Stephanie Petrasch emphasised the significance of these webinars in disseminating knowledge on how to ensure that all learners are being reached in the delivery of educational services during these difficult times, the statement read.