King’s vision brings education development to the fore — academics

AMMAN — Educational experts have commended His Majesty King Abdullah’s recommendations and constant emphasis on developing education as a main pivot of a comprehensive renaissance.

The King, in a letter to Jordanians on his 60th birthday, laid great emphasis on rising with the educational sector and linking its outcomes with the labour market.

Vice President for Humanities at the University of Jordan Ahmad Majdoubeh said: “By stressing that we should regain the ‘forefront status’ we once had, and make education ‘relevant to current and future market needs’, His Majesty has hit the nail on the head regarding education”.

He added that achieving this will require a lot of work.

“Aligning the educational outcomes of our schools and universities with the skills demanded by the 4th and 5th industrial revolutions,” is an important step in realising the King’s vision, Majdoubeh told The Jordan Times.

He also noted that plans are underway to put Jordan’s Higher Education system “at the forefront again”.

“This past year, the Higher Education Council approved and put into place a plan to embed online and blended learning into the higher education system, in close coordination with all universities”.

President of the Jordan University of Science and Technology Khalid El Salem, said that His Majesty has always made it a priority to focus on education and the needs of youth.

“The visions, which His Majesty proposed in his seventh Discussion Paper and his direct guidance for Jordanian universities has been the beacon, which lead them to achieve their desired role, equipping graduates with the best education,” he told the Jordan Times.

Jordanian teachers also emphasised the importance of the King’s vision for a better educational future.

Rana Mahmoud, a Jordanian teacher, told the Jordan Times: “His Majesty’s vision paints education as the way for a brighter future in Jordan, which is certainly true.”

She added that developing education and inserting new teaching methods produce innovative and creative students who are eager to benefit and develop their communities.

Ayman Daoud, another teacher at a public school, told The Jordan Times: “Through his Majesty’s speech we can notice the great emphasis on the advancement of education”.

The King’s constant recommendations on linking education outcomes with the needs of the labour market, “will result in strengthening the national economy and reducing unemployment,” said Daoud.

Amal Hasan, a principal at a private school in Amman, said that training human resources in education, as the King noted, is a must.

“The challenges and changes we face require constant improvements to prepare a generation capable of innovation and adaptability,” Hasan told The Jordan Times.

She noted that educational institutions now carry a responsibility to realise the King’s vision through constant and collaborative efforts.