Ministry announces measures to regulate teaching, courses

AMMAN — The Ministry of Higher Education is in the midst of taking regulatory measures expected to be addressed at Parliament’s extraordinary session, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Walid Maani said on Sunday. 

Maani added that the ministry plans to further regulate teaching and university courses, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

The minister’s comments came after Kuwait announced it was suspending the accreditation of 15 Jordanian universities over the weekend, and Qatar said it would take “measures” to redistribute its students more evenly among higher education institutions in the Kingdom. 

The minister highlighted that around 42,000 students from 105 countries study in the Kingdom, noting that the ministry plans to increase the number to 70,000. 

Jordan boasts 14 of the top 100 Arab universities, Maani said, adding that the University of Jordan and the Jordan University of Science and Technology rank 9th and 14th respectively. 

The process of awarding university accreditation is done through a number of steps, which include visits from delegations designated to evaluate a university’s status, facilities, level of graduates, the duration of studies and the number of graduating classes, Maani said.

He noted that some authorities rely on a university’s reputation and international rankings and evaluation. 

Maani explained that the ministry’s role is to set policies, as opposed to “meddling in the affairs of universities”. 

The minister reiterated that the Qatari decision, clarified, on Saturday seeks to redistribute Qatari students among universities in the Kingdom and does not revoke the accreditation of any institutions.

A third of the 3,000 Qatari students studying in Jordan do so at one school, Maani explained. 

Qatar’s decision will allow its students in Jordan to interact with their Jordanian counterparts in central, southern and northern areas, the minister said. 

According to the Qatari cultural attaché, any student can enrol at any university and programme, given that they apply through the relevant authorities, which would then decide whether or not the majors in question meet the needs of the job market. 

Maani added that Kuwait’s decision was also based on an organisational vision to redistribute Kuwaiti students to different Jordanian universities in order to ensure a diversity of majors for graduates.