Consumers expected to spend around JD5m on sweets to celebrate Tawjihi results

AMMAN — The Jordan Association for Restaurants and Sweets Shops Owners (JARSSO) said Tuesday that the date of announcing Tawjihi results must be known in advance to make their job easier during this peak season and limit their losses.

As soon as the Ministry of Education announced the results of the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) on Tuesday, sweets stores were crammed with Jordanians who wanted to celebrate the results.

The ministry only said on Monday that the results would be released the next day.

However, JARSSO President Raed Hamada said the association asked the ministry to let people know in advance about the time of the results so that everyone could prepare for them. 

“They should have told us two days in advance because there are some preparations for store owners and employees. Many stores incurred losses and as of Monday evening, it was a state of emergency among sector members,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Hamada noted that last year the sector lost JD1 million because store owners were taken by surprise. 

“It is not acceptable that everyone gets stressed waiting for the results. We call on the ministry to consider our request for the future,” he added. 

In the meantime, Hamada said demand for sweets soared on Tuesday, expecting it to rise significantly during the coming weekend. 

“In total, we expect customers to spend between JD5 million and JD6 million on knafeh for this occasion,” he added. 

Amman residents interviewed by The Jordan Times said their favourite dish for this occasion is knafeh, which is made of very fine shreds of pastry layered with soft cheese and topped with sugar syrup. 

Um Khaled, whose daughter was among the students who passed Tawjihi, said most of her family members gathered at their house to congratulate her. 

“As soon as they arrive in the house, we serve them knafeh and drinks,” she added. 

Essam Abu Daiah, whose daughter scored 93 per cent in the exam, said he posted an announcement on Facebook informing people that his daughter passed the exam and inviting his friends and relatives to his house. 

“Definitely knafeh is the favourite on these occasions.” 

Um Motaz said serving sweets is a sign of celebration and happiness. 

“I am against people who go out to fire their guns in celebration or drive around in processions because these practices annoy people and harm them. We like to celebrate without disturbing anyone.”