Supporting Jordan in providing education for Syrian children living in Jordan
Amman, (13 October) - Štefan Füle, the European Union Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Dr. Mohammad Al Thneibat, the Minister of Education, and officials from the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, visited the Al Hussein Secondary School for Girls in Amman today.
Al Hussein Secondary School for Girls is one of the 98 public schools in Jordan that operates in double shifts to provide education to Syria refugee children in communities and urban centres with support from the European Union and UNICEF. The school hosts over 1,000 students including some 500 Syrian children from classes 1 to 9.
Commissioner Füle visited classrooms and interacted with children, and distributed school learning kits and bags to students. During his visit, the Commissioner said:
"I would like to reiterate our commitment to support Jordan in the next years in providing education for Syrian children living in Jordan and to help also the authorities and local communities here. The EU is one of the biggest donors to Jordan and stands by this country in these difficult times. I would like to express our praise and gratitude to the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, and especially the teaching staff from the Al Hussein Secondary School for Girls, for their commitment and professionalism."
The Minister of Education, Dr. Mohammad Al Thneibat commended the EU's support and UNICEF's proactive role in enhancing education in the Kingdom. ''We are committed to improving the quality of education, and providing educational opportunities to all children including Jordanian and refugee children in the country. We look forward to your continued support and partnership", the Minister added.
“UNICEF’s partnership with the Ministry of Education would not be possible without the substantial support from the European Commission. This support has allowed us to open afternoon shifts in 98 public schools in Jordan, so that all children have access to formal education. In partnership with the EU, we will continue supporting the Ministry and partners, in improving quality and access to all forms of education for all children in Jordan” said the UNICEF Jordan Representative Robert Jenkins.
The European Union has provided around EUR 100 million for education in Jordan since 2012. This includes support to Ministry of Education strategy, access to formal education, teacher training, double shifting to accommodate Syrian students in host community schools, operational costs of schools in camps, remedial, non-formal and inclusive education.
Since the last quarter of 2013, the EU is directly supporting Jordan through the Sector Budget Support to Education part of what was initially covered by UNICEF through protocol with the MoE including supply of textbooks and management of salaries of teachers working in the double shifted schools.