2.285 million students return to school for second semester

AMMAN — Sunday marked the beginning of the second academic semester, with a total of 2.285 million students returning to the classrooms.

Three days prior to the reopening of schools, the Ministry of Education affirmed that it equipped schools across the country with the necessary supplies, and prepared school books for the students. On Saturday, the last two batches of books have arrived to the southern region, according to the ministry.

The ministry’s spokesperson Ahmad Masaafah told The Jordan Times that “while schools were closed, necessary maintenance work was done and preparatory procedures were accomplished”.

Speaking with The Jordan Times, Sara Badran, an art teacher, said that the first day is full of teacher meetings so that staff can agree on certain things for the semester, adding that “we also help place students in their classrooms, distributing syllabi and other handouts”.

Khloud Efishat, an Arabic language teacher, said that on the first day of school, she introduces new students who transfer from other schools, and has a quick chat with each student.  

“Usually, the first day is overwhelming. As teachers we would be talking with a lot of parents, in addition to organising our study plans, which we share with the students in the second or third day,” Efishat added.

Um Ghazi, a mother of three, told The Jordan Times over the phone that the roads are the busiest during the first week of school. “Today I left home early, but unfortunately I was stuck in traffic,” she said, noting that the biggest issue for her is that her two older children go to a different school, which means she drops off and picks up her three children from two different schools each day.