Uncertainty grips students, parents as strike saga continues

AMMAN — As the teacher’s strike entered its fourth week, parents and students continue to have growing fears about the uncertainty of the situation, as the Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) is not wavering or accepting any offers from the government.

The JTA is unwavering in its demand for a 50-per cent raise, and teachers around the Kingdom remain on strike and are not holding any classes.

Fahed Jubran, who studies at a public school in Amman in the scientific branch of Tawjihi (general secondary education certificate examination), said it requires a lot of hard work, especially for subjects like physics, math and chemistry, which are difficult to understand without a teacher. 

“I want the teachers to get their raise, but the longer this continues, the more I fear for myself. The classes I take at centres are not enough to cover my needs as a Tawjihi student,” Jubran told The Jordan Times on Tuesday over the phone.

“I honestly thought this would be over within a week or two at max; I do not think anyone expected it to last this long… The problem is, things so far are still unclear, as the government does not show any signs of wanting to give the raise, and the association does not seem lenient about their stance either,” Jubran said.

Mohammad Dhafer, who has a son in a private school and a daughter in a public school, said that his daughter was supposed to start the first grade this year, but did not have the chance to begin school at the same time as other kids. 

“I understand that we are living in a time when it is hard to get by even if your salary is more than JD500 which makes one feel at conflict, because we want to be sympathetic, but we are also afraid our children will miss out on receiving the education they need,” he said.

“Nonetheless, I hope that if the teachers’ demand is actually met, they would somehow make up for lost time and also commit more to their profession,” Dhafer added.

Jaber Saadeh, also a Tawjihi student this year in the literary branch, told The Jordan Times: “Just like any profession, there are good and bad practitioners, so I hope that if the teachers do get the raise, they would teach us with full commitment.”

“Everybody knows that many teachers nowadays provide half the actual information to lure students into taking private lessons with them, so I hope that would stop if things work out,” he said. 

Despite studying as much as he can on his own, Saadeh said he grows more anxious each day about the material he has missed. He hopes the issue will be resolved soon.