School is back soon, and so is pressure

The new school year is just around the corner and the Ministry of Education will again feel the pressure, in terms of funds, school buildings and staff, as about 193,000 Syrian students join the ranks of pupils enrolled in public schools this coming year.

The ministry has, as a result, introduced the double shift system in 102 new schools, bringing the total so far to 200.

That means more electricity use, more heat — if at all, but that is a different issue — and more effort and pressure on the teaching staff, which, eventually, translates in less efficiency.

In order to defray some of the additional cost of education, Jordan recently signed several grant agreements, worth $97.5 million, with the UK’s Department of International Development, USAID, and the Swiss and Norwegian governments.

The Jordan Compact Education Fund estimates, however, that there is need for an additional $1 billion over the next three years, and money is difficult to come by when it is meant for education.

Moreover, financing is not where challenges facing public schools stop.

Unlike private schools, public schools have yet to introduce the co-educational system.

Boys and girls continue to study separately in public schools.

Desegregation of schools on the basis of gender is overdue. Children of both sexes must be encouraged to mix together, study under one roof and thus develop healthier relations when they reach adulthood years.

The government could at least introduce in the very near future desegregated schools for the first seven years of education.

Private schools have long done so with considerable success and gains for the students, and without affecting in any way societal customs and traditions.

It is, after all, the 21st century, and complete segregation does not exist anymore. A look at our streets, restaurants or malls shows masses of men and women going about their business. If they can “coexist” as adults, why should they be separated as innocent children?

The country should enable its children to study together in a cooperative spirit and healthy environment. That way, a sounder generation of young people will be raised, people who know how to live with each other, respect each other as peers and eventually become productive members of the society.