King urges radical overhaul of Tawjihi

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday was briefed on the Ministry of Education’s plan to develop the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi), as well as develop vocational education, enhance school infrastructure and train teachers.

Speaking at the meeting, held at Al Husseiniya Palace and attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, King Abdullah said Tawjihi overhaul has to be radical as part of the overall process of reforming education, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty urged ensuring that the output of Tawjihi matches the requirements of admission into higher education, calling for clarifying the planned reforms to parents and students.

The King stressed the importance of cooperation among the relevant entities on preparing curricula, and providing internship opportunities for vocational education students in line with labour market needs, while also expanding the scope of teacher training.

His Majesty also pointed to the need to collaborate with the private sector on bolstering school infrastructure.

Also at the meeting, attended by Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, Education and Higher Education Minister Azmi Mahafzah said the ministry’s plans for reforming education include sorting students into vocational or academic streams after the ninth grade.

Tenth graders in the academic stream would study science and humanities courses and then start choosing specialised courses based on the sought higher education specialty as of the 11th and 12th grades, according to the minister.

Mahafzah said Tawjihi, as a result, would be split over two years — post 11th grade and post 12th grade.

The minister also highlighted plans to diversify vocational education specialties and adopt international standards in the training offered, as well as measures to enhance school infrastructure and bolster teacher training.