3.1.2.

Major Education Reforms in Jordan: 1990-2017

Jordan has a long history of education reforms dating back to 1960s. At the time of

independence, the first education reform initiative was launched in 1960. The second was

introduced in 1970. Furthermore, in 1988, the government launched a ten-year education

reform package to improve the quality of education by restructuring the curricula. Greater

emphasis was placed on the development of problem solving ability and critical thinking skills.

The ten-year education reform package also laid down the institutional foundation for future

reforms. A dedicated and autonomous national center - National Center for Education Research

(NCERD) -for assessment and education research was established in 1990. This was renamed to

National Center for Human Resources Development (NCHRD) which subsequently designed a

longitudinal system to monitor learning outcomes of students and assess teaching quality in

basic education (Abdul-Hamid, Abu-Lebdeh and Patrinos 2011).

The second reform plan spanned the period 1998-2002. In 2000 the government launched

education reform for the knowledge economy charting action plans for change in pre-primary

to higher education. This shift in education planning had two objectives: (a) to revitalize the

learning environment in schools; (b) to transform Jordan into a regional technology hub. The

Blueprint for reform was explained in the “Jordan Vision 2020” and the “2002 Vision Forum for

the Future of Education”. The national development strategy and the Forum results were

consolidated into specific development plans, the Social and Economic Transformation Plan, the

General Education Plan 2003-08 (World Bank 2009).

One of the earliest of these was the 1988 Education Reform which spurred from the National

Conference for Education Reform; the most recent was Education Reform for the Knowledge

Economy (ERfKE): phase one in 2003 and phase two in 2009, and due to end in December

20162. Both reforms focused on curriculum, teacher professional development and student

learning outcomes, among other priorities.

The MoE also identified school readiness as an important area of policy intervention. In 2000,

an ECED strategy was also created which was based on five stages: (1) pre-natal phase; (2) post-

natal (up to one year); (3) one-four years old; (4) four-six years old; and (5) children in the first

three lower primary grades.

More recently, in response to the rapidly deteriorating results on national school-leaving

examinations and poor performance in international assessments, the government launched an

ambitious program. The National Committee for Human Resource Development (HRD) was

asked to draft a policy document detaining the national strategy for human resource

development 2016-2025. Two key objectives relating to education quality are:



By 2025, ensure that all children have access to quality early childhood learning and

development experiences that promote primary school readiness, ensure healthy lives,

and promote their future wellbeing.



By 2025, ensure that all children complete equitable and quality primary and secondary

education, leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

The conceptual framework underlying the national strategy is based on a 5 governing principles:

(a) access (ensuring fair equal and opportunities) (b) quality (delivering world class outcomes)