Mulki meets with JTA over teachers’ demands

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Monday voiced the government’s keenness to improve teachers’ living and social conditions during a meeting with Jordan Teachers Association’s (JTA) President Basil Freihat, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

During the meeting, attended by Education Minister Omar Razzaz, Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Musa Maaytah and Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani, Mulki said that the government is ready to deal with the demands of the JTA, which he described as “elementary”, noting that the government will study the demands in order to implement those they deem “possible”. 

First, the premier instructed the Cabinet to increase the end-of-service gratuity from the Social Security Investment Fund for workers in the Education Ministry from 13 times to 15 times the salary in order to improve their living conditions. 

The prime minister also instructed the Legislation and Opinion Bureau to accelerate discussions of the amended JTA draft law, send it to the Council of Ministers to be discussed and then send it to the Lower House. 

Moreover, Mulki issued instructions to re-examine increasing the number of Hajj (the greater Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca) delegations for the JTA from 84 to 100. 

The association’s finance and administrative system will go through the necessary legislative channels to be endorsed by the Cabinet without delay, Mulki said, adding that teachers whose entire classes failed to pass the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) will have their annual reports reviewed. He stressed that those who “showed hard work” will be rewarded, while “negligent” teachers will be punished. 

Regarding assaults on teachers, the premier stressed the government’s complete lack of tolerance for attacks on public servants, especially teachers, and announced the government’s decision to increase penalties against perpetrators, as well as measures to control the issuing of malicious medical reports used by assailants.

Regarding the JTA’s recommended amendments to the civil service by-law, Mulki said they will be taken into consideration, along with a constructive dialogue to further the public interest, and urged the association to discuss the issue of health insurance for teachers, instructing the concerned authorities to discuss the issue with the JTA. 

The association’s demands included listing the JTA law on the House’s agenda in its extraordinary session, endorsing the association’s financial and administrative system, and increasing the end-of-service gratuity.