Students who fail Tawjihi might be allowed to enrol in technical colleges

AMMAN — The Ministry of Higher Education is studying a decision to allow students who fail their high school exams to enrol in technical community colleges, a ministry official said on Sunday.

Some 100,000 students have failed the last General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi). Failure rates have increased since the Education Ministry adopted stricter examination rules, said Hani Dmour, the secretary general of the Higher Education Ministry.  

The new decision, if approved, would allow some students who did not pass the Tawjihi to enrol in public and private technical community colleges, where they can obtain certificates that will qualify them for technical jobs.  

“This will enhance students’ social and economic productivity,” Dmour told The Jordan Times, noting that the local market is in need of vocational specialties, including those in the fields of engineering, technology and medical equipment maintenance.

Even traditional crafts, such as carpentry and metalsmithing, need to be developed to incorporate new technologies that would improve the quality of products, Dmour added. 

Those wishing to pursue their studies through the bridging system will have to retake Tawjihi exams to qualify for completing their university education at local universities, he said, adding that technical training depends more on personal skills than academic performance.

Hassan Zeyadeh, the dean of Khawarizmi College, a community college that offers technical training courses, said it has not been “preferable” to accept students who failed Tawjihi in community colleges so far, but such a decision could solve problems for all parties.

He explained in a phone interview with The Jordan Times that the decision would save many community colleges from closing down in light of the low turnout for technical education.

“Five or six big community colleges have closed down over the past three years,” Zeyadeh said, adding that one college with building and operational costs that reach JD20 million has enrolled only 230 students for the spring semester.

Around 560 students scoring between 50 and 60 per cent in Tawjihi are enrolled in 44 community colleges annually, he said, despite “high” demand in the labour market for technical specialties in engineering, hotels and tourism.

While Zeyadeh expressed concerns over student turnout, Dmour expected a “good” take up for such programmes, which would make it easier for graduates to find jobs.

“The move, which we hope will come into being, is a step towards changing a culture that only acknowledges academic certifications,” he concluded.