Ministry to announce list of students covered by support funds today

AMMAN — The Directorate of Scholarships at the Higher Education Ministry on Sunday will announce the list of students covered by the support funds in the following semester, Higher Education Minister Adel Tweisi told The Jordan Times in a recent interview. 

Forty-three-thousand students will benefit from the aid this year, according to the minister, who noted that the number of scholarships has increased compared to last year, which stood at 38,000. 

“The students are becoming more aware of the funds and the number of applications has increased,” Tweisi said when asked about the reasons explaining the raise, adding that “the economic situation of the Kingdom is also a huge factor, and we need to provide support for the needy Jordanian families”.

In addition, the minister highlighted that all applicants meeting the necessary requirements have been granted either scholarships or loans. He noted that all beneficiaries must be Jordanian nationals registered at an official Jordanian university programme for the bachelor or intermediate diploma level through the unified admissions programme.

Lina Al Khalil, a student who entered the Hashemite University through the parallel programme, voiced her disagreement with the scholarships system. 

“I feel like we are second-class students,” Khalil said, noting that her family is “just as needy as the families of the students registered through the unified programme”.

“It is just not admissible,” she continued, noting that “even when we pay higher fees than them, they still deprive us from any sort of aid”.

When asked about the scholarships coverage, the minister pointed out that all eligible applicants will be granted funds in accordance to the criteria system, with full assistance scholarships for the students with the highest number of points, while scholarships and loans will cover a maximum of 45 credit hours for the rest of the beneficiaries. 

A total of JD35 million has been allocated to support the students, with JD20 million coming from the Jordanian government, JD10 million from the Kuwaiti Fund, and JD5 million from the student loans payback, according to the minister.

“The announcement of the beneficiaries comes earlier this year in order to allow students to register for the next semester with no hustle, so they can arrange their affairs and start the registration without paying in advance,” Tweisi pointed out. 

The early announcement of the list has been met with excitement by the students, who noted the convenience of registering while knowing whether they will receive support or not. 

“Every year I have to pay at the beginning of the semester as if I did not receive the scholarship and that causes a lot of difficulties for my family,” student Zainab Awwad told The Jordan Times, expressing her “peace of mind” over the early announcement. 

“I always take side jobs in the months prior to the registration because my family is never able to pay,” Muhannad Akel said, expressing how “the ministry has finally made a move to help us before it’s too late”.