Private school owners sue gov't over new by-law

AMMAN — The Private School Owners Association has filed a lawsuit against the government to challenge a by-law on the establishment and licensing of private and foreign educational institutions.

"First of all, the private schools association was not engaged, nor consulted during the drafting of the by-law. This is against all talk about the government's commitment to cooperating with the private sector," Private School Owners Association President Munther Sourani told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

The by-law, which was approved by the Cabinet last December, includes provisions related to the physical environment at schools, the number of students and school yards.

Under the regulations, which went into effect this year, private schools are required to address any violation related to their buildings, including the need to vacate premises that are deemed residential and the need to have indoor yards.

Moreover, schools should calculate the number of students they are allowed to accept based on their area in square metres, to make sure that each student has a one-square-metre area in the classroom and two square metres in the yard.

While the Education Ministry insists that these moves are "necessary" to regulate the sector and ensure the quality of education, private schools, some of which have been operating for more than 30 years, describe them as "unfair".

Sourani noted that the by-law would "prompt many schools to shut down after losing around 70,000 students and 12,000 staff members".

He said all the Kingdom's private schools are legal and licensed, but the new system is standing in the way of renewing their licences.

"Authorities have licensed these schools and allowed them to operate for a long time without having indoor yards or forcing them to limit the number of students according to their size." There are currently 600,000 private school students in Jordan, noted Sourani.

According to last year's figures, 2,708 schools out of the total 6,614 schools in Jordan are private, employing 34,641 teachers.

Jordan Teachers Association Spokesperson Ayman Okour said the syndicate "fully stands with private schools", which he said "bear a huge burden along with the Education Ministry".

"The government did not give private schools enough time to rectify their situation. Add to that the fact that public schools are not perfect themselves and far from equipped to meet the needs of students," he told The Jordan Times.

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat has said on several occasions that the by-law provides an "overall framework for private schools and it also focuses on the quality of education at these institutions".

In previous remarks, he said that it was time to regulate and control the quality of education at private schools, noting that there is a "big difference between investing in private education for the public's sake and doing so for profit".

Thneibat also said that only 180 private schools out of 500 in Amman have not violated regulations.

In addition, he noted that the number of students at some schools exceeds the figure stipulated in their licences.