University of Jordan students criticise new campus entry policy

AMMAN — Students at the University of Jordan (UJ) on Thursday decried a new system introduced this academic semester that requires them to use their ID card to enter the university premises and to wait 15 minutes between exiting and re-entering.

In the third week of the university semester, students said the new card policy, as well as technical difficulties with the card reading machines, make it difficult for them to arrive at their lectures on time.

“This just doesn’t work… some of us arrive at the main gate at 7:30am and are delayed until after 8am, causing us to miss our morning lectures,” student Samah Mahasneh told The Jordan Times.

More than 70 students line up at the main gate of the university each day and are kept waiting for over an hour, stated Ahmad Khatib, a fourth-year student.

Azmi Mahafzah, UJ vice president for scientific faculty affairs, told The Jordan Times that UJ devised the new entrance method and many students now regard the campus as “safer”.

“The card is only used to enter the university, not to exit, so we can control who gets in,” he said.

Many students also criticised the 15-minute waiting time imposed on each student’s card between exit and re-entry.

“This whole system of waiting 15 minutes to re-enter is inappropriate. I have to get a few books or notebooks for my classes from a nearby bookshop and afterwards the security guards do not allow me in,” said student Haya Naber.

“We cannot miss any lectures as some of us are graduating next semester. We have to attend all classes and whenever we’re 15 minutes late, we are either not allowed in or we do not understand the given material,” complained Hazem Abandah, an engineering student.

Mahafzah explained that the 15-minute delay policy aims to better monitor entrances and to prevent one card being used for more than one student at the same time. 

“This new regulation has made the entrance method better organised and decreased the traffic jam around the university gates,” he added.

According to official figures, there are around 50,000 students at the university.