Mahafzah details Education Ministry projects in ‘Driving Entrepreneurship’ session

AMMAN — In a session during the “A Year of Modernisation” forum on Saturday, Minister of Education Azmi Mahafzah detailed the importance of developing the vocational and technical education system. 

The "Driving Entrepreneurship and Innovation" session featured discussions of the state of vocational education, with Mahafza stressing the importance of involving the private sector in the development of the vocational and technical education system, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The minister also announced that new vocational schools have been constructed to accommodate the expected number of students in vocational education, and workshops and laboratories have been updated to accommodate vocational education programmes. 

Mahafzah also noted that the ministry has contracted an international company to help develop competency-based vocational education (BTEC), and a new vocational curriculum for grades 10 through 12. 

In addition to vocational education, 25 new public schools have been established through public-private sector partnerships. Additionally, an operational plan for school buildings that focuses on reducing overcrowding and improving infrastructure efficiency has been launched, he added.

The new concept for secondary education, extending from grades 10 through 12 has been approved by the ministry. Additionally, the General Secondary Education Certificate Examiniation (Tawjihi) will now be introduced over a span of two years, with the academic and vocational branching process now starting in the ninth grade, he said.

The ministry has also completed the pilot phase of a kindergarten quality assurance system in 42 schools. The Queen Rania Academy is partnering with the education ministry to help teachers in developing trainings for other kindergarten teachers, he added. 

The ministry is also planning on expanding the implementation of the pre-service diploma programme in Jordanian universities through the introduction of a new teacher training diploma for the academic year 2023/2024, in collaboration with the Queen Rania Academy for Teacher Training in four universities: University of Jordan, Yarmouk University, Mutah University and Hashemite University. 

This year, the ministry has sent over 760 teachers as part of the new programme and will send 2,000 teachers in 2023/2024, he said.