Only 12% of Tawjihi graduates pursue vocational training — minister

AMMAN — Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat on Wednesday said the ministry has been preparing an extended preview to address shortcomings in the educational process. 

In a lecture entitled”Civil education: the vision of the Ministry of Education” organised by Al Fuheis Cultural Forum, Thneibat said the first step to develop education lies in revisiting curricula, and working for good governance in the educational process at all levels, especially after the ministry managed to address flaws in the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi), according to a statement e-mailed by the organisers to The Jordan Times.   

The minister also said that vocational education in the Kingdom attracts only 12 per cent of high school graduates, while the international percentage stands at around 42 per cent.

In this regard, he noted that much money was spent to develop vocational education without achieving the envisioned results. 

Thneibat continued to say that the ministry over the past two years has built 239 schools at a cost of JD200 million, adding that the ministry will build a similar number in the next two years in a bid to reduce the number of crowded classes, renew old school buildings and meet future needs.

As to private education, the minister said it should not be only taken as an investment without providing the required level of educational services, according to the statement.

Investors in private education have the right to make profits, but not at the expense of quality, Thneibat affirmed, adding that the ministry has closed some private education institutions for violating the law, and the ministry will intervene to ensure students’ and teachers’ rights setting tuition fees and educators’ salaries.