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For better education

Aug 30,2015 - Last updated at Aug 30,2015

The new scholastic year is just about to begin; it is the time of the year when one is reminded that there are still things to be done, both by the government and by the public, to make this a more successful school year than the previous.

His Majesty King Abdullah personally intervened to ensure that the school environment is more embracing by providing heating units to some schools that are located in areas that experience harsher winter conditions.

Adequate temperature in schools is one basic need that has to be met; students cannot be expected to enjoy going to school or learn much in shivering cold in the winter, or sweltering heat in the summer.

Besides meeting this necessary condition, and equally important, is the hygiene situation in schools.

It is imperative to ensure cleanliness and the  availability of toilet facilities for both genders.

A recent UN report found that girls drop out of school when there are no separate, and clean, toilets for them to use.

Speaking of the dropout phenomenon in the country, a senior official disclosed at a seminar organised by the Jordan Society for Scientific Research that about 30,000 Jordanian children between the ages 6 and 15 are school dropouts; the reasons are many, but most have to do with the socio-economic situation.

Taking into account the Syrian children living in Jordan as well, UNESCO found that the number of dropouts swells to about 180,000.

Among Syrian schoolchildren about 60,000 are out of school entirely.

Under international norms, both local and non-national children enjoy the right to education, at basic education levels at least.

That does not seem to be the case, a state of affairs for which it is difficult to apportion blame, as there are too many actors at play.

Making transportation available to children who live far from the schools assigned to them would help combat the school dropout phenomenon.

At the same time, students with disabilities need special care to make it possible for them to attend schools.

Another troubling finding is that some 41,000 children under the age of five are not enrolled in kindergartens.

Of course the reasons for the disturbing number of children out of school are many. As far as kindergarten is concerned, there is no legislation in Jordan making it compulsory, something that should be remedied by adopting the necessary amendment to existing legislation on education.

According to the Queen Rania Teacher Academy, Jordan spends only 5 per cent of its GDP on education, which is low by international standards.

 

Of course, tackling the many problems encountered in the education sector is a long and arduous process, but a start must be made, and this is just as good a year as any.

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