Education of Disadvantaged Children in OIC:
The Key to Escape from Poverty
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teachers towards children, poor teaching methods and the use of severe punishments” 369. Corporal
punishment by teachers and principals in formal schools is more widespread in male schools370
than female schools. This has led many boys to drop out of school altogether or to join non-formal
schools where they feel less subjected to violence (from both teachers and other students) and
whose flexible hours accommodate their work schedules371.
Refugees. Refugees complain about violence during their commute to school, discrimination in
host communities, violence and maltreatment in schools372 not only from teachers but also from
students.
Disability. As seen earlier, there are not enough statistics on disability and access to schooling.
However, parents may fear discrimination against their children by teachers or students and as
such there may be low demand for schooling for their disabled children.
Dom minority group373. The Dom are a Jordanian minority-group that is marginalized and often
discriminated against. In 2016, UNICEF organized focus groups to discuss the elements of their
marginalization. Of the boys and girls who participated, only 10 percent were currently enrolled
in school, in spite of expressing a desire to attend schools374. The major barriers to their access to
schooling are discrimination, violence and bullying in schools. Both students and parents reported
children being physically and verbally abused by their teachers or made to clean the schools
instead of attending classes. Students were also bullied by peers, with no consequences from their
teachers. Another significant barrier was their seasonal mobility due to their parents’ economic
migration patterns and not being allowed to enrol in schools in new location.
Supply-side: Education System Governance
Governance: Jordan’s education governance structure is characterised by a high degree of
centralisation in decision-making, control and regulations at the level of the Ministry of Education
(basic education), the Ministry of Labour (vocational education) and the Ministry of Higher
Education (tertiary education). However, there is limited co-ordination betweenministries which
leads to uncoordinated responses to cross-cutting issues of access and quality as well as little
accountability and incentives for the performance of leaders of schools, vocational training
institutes, colleges and universities375. According to the World Bank’s 2015 Systems Approach for
Better Education Results (SABER) assessment of schools’ autonomy and accountability, Jordan’s
369 UNICEF (2014)
370 NCHRD (2016)
371 UNICEF/JENA (2014)
372 UNICEF (2014)
373 UNICEF (2016): “The Dom community is highly heterogeneous. This report is based on a series of discussions with the two
major sub-groups, the Bani Murra and Turkman, both self-identified titles. Due to the historic discrimination faced by this
community, members of the group tend to hide their original ethnic identity, and instead resort to adopting a Jordanian, Bedouin,
Turkman or more generally an Arab identity to better assimilate with the surrounding community.”
374 UNICEF (2016)
375 NCHRD (2016)