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A QRF sponsored nationwide survey of government school teachers also identified the lack of
formal training among teachers. 28% of the interviewed teachers reported not having received
pre-service training while less than half of teachers reported receiving in-service training in the
last two years (Qarout, Pylvainen, Dahdah, and Palmer, 2015).Turning to secondary education,
the most frequently stated priority area for investment is leadership training programs for head
teachers. This is followed by more spending on develop new teaching and learning materials,
student centered-learning, development of soft skills, more in-service (training) provision, ICT
facilities for rural schools, hire more teachers, build more schools, additional funding for low-
performing schools, placement of teachers in high performing schools, spending on school
building, hire more female teachers, increase teacher salary, building more classrooms and free
provision of after school tuition. The provision of scholarship for poor children was not viewed
as relevant to improving education quality in the secondary sector.
Lastly, the majority of the stakeholders interviewed said that Jordan could learn or adopt
teaching and learning practices from other countries that have been successful in the field of
education. When asked to name the country, as many as four countries were identified as
potential country role models though Finland and Singapore dominated the list as the most
popular choice.
In sum, motivation has been identified as a key factor defining an effective principal and effective
school teacher by the stakeholders. Yet most respondents stressed that there is a lack of good as
well as motivated teachers in Jordan, particularly in primary schools. This is also consistent with
independent survey of teachers. Only two out of every five teachers (37%) interviewed as part
of the QRF sponsored nationwide survey of government school teachers said that the teaching
was their passion. In other words, most were in teaching because of other reasons such lack of
non-teaching alternatives, academic circumstances, and suitability of the profession for women
(Qarout, Pylvainen, Dahdah, and Palmer, 2015). From the discussion with stakeholders, it was
unclear what could be done to improve teacher motivation. In case of primary school teachers,
increasing the salary was considered as an important intervention area though all stakeholders
mentioned leadership training programs for head teacher as the priority area if further funding
became available to improve school quality. During in-depth interviews, stakeholders
emphasized the importance of effective principals to motivate individual school teachers. One
interesting observation relates to the lack of perceived importance of the greater provision of
private schools to improve education quality in Jordan. This is in spite of the fact that major
government policy documents recommend increased private sector participation in the delivery
of quality education in Jordan. Equally the Jordan government has invested heavily in ICT in the
education sector with no visible impact on learning outcomes. Yet a large proportion of
stakeholders identified greater provision of ICT as important area for further investment. Lastly,
an important barrier highlighted by stakeholders in delivering quality secondary education is
the pressure of external evaluation. In Jordan, both teachers and students are focused on
obtaining higher grades in in high-stakes secondary school exit exams, Tawjihi, as it is a key
performance indicator for both groups. An unintended consequence of high external pressure
on students and school authorities to deliver higher Tawjihi pass rates has led to examination-
oriented learning. Cheating on examinations is a rampant in the Tawjihi. Students achieve this
by relying on an elaborate networks using advanced technology and colluding with adult
authorities (Buckner and Hodges 2016).