King checks on progress at Jordan’s oldest vocational school

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday checked on the facilities and workshops at the Sharif Abdulhamid Sharaf Secondary School for Boys, according to a Royal Court statement. 

In a previous visit, His Majesty issued directives to conduct maintenance and rehabilitate the school, which was established in 1924 and is the oldest vocational school in the Kingdom. 

Under Royal directives to the concerned authorities, work is ongoing to build more vocational schools around the Kingdom with the latest equipment like Sharif Abdulhamid Sharaf Secondary School, according to the statement. 

During the visit, the importance of maintaining coordination and partnership with the private sector was highlighted to allow students of vocational schools to benefit from the technological advancement of different professions. 

Deputy Prime Minister for Services and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat briefed King Abdullah on the phases of maintenance to the school’s facilities and highlighted the volume of development for the workshops, the statement said.

His Majesty toured the vocational workshops, which total 13 and include cooling and air conditioning, carpentry, central heating and auto mechanics, and he was briefed about the kind of training the students undergo in each workshop. 

Several of the school’s graduates discussed their “success stories” with the King and how training at the school helped them find job opportunities in the labour market. 

The Education Ministry, in coordination with private sector companies, worked to contribute to the students’ practical training as part of the “on-the-job” training programme that aims to provide “excellent students” to private sector companies.  

His Majesty was accompanied by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan and Royal Court Secretary General Yousef Issawi, who also heads the committee to follow up on Royal initiatives. 

The King visited the school for the first time in 2013 and this is his second visit, Principal Abdullah Amirah told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, in an interview.