Report of the Education Policy Committee in Jordan 1987 (Understanding the retardation)

Report of the Education Policy Committee in Jordan 1987 (Recognizing the Retardation)"

Presented by: Prof. Dr. Ali Mahafzah

The first edition of the book "The 1987 Jordan Education Policy Report (Recognizing the Retardation)", published by the Royal Hashemite Documentation Center in Amman, deals with the education policies in Jordan for the year 1987. The book is prepared and presented by the veteran Jordanian historian, Professor Dr. Ali Mahafzah, with an introduction by Professor Dr. Mohannad Mubaideen, the head of the Royal Hashemite Documentation Center in Jordan.

The book begins with an introduction about modernizing education and the Education Policy Committee in 1987. It includes a summary of the Education Policy Committee's report, issued in January 1987, and is divided into two main parts; the first focuses on the educational reality, while the second deals with educational policy.

This book is an important document in the general history of Jordan in the twentieth century, and in the history of the Jordanian educational institution. It reveals the state's awareness of the importance of modernizing and developing the Jordanian educational institution and addressing the challenges it faces, in addition to recognizing the retardation that has occurred over time and the factors that affect human progress, extending beyond the reality of 1987.

The 1987 Jordan Education Policy Committee's report provides a wealth of information for those interested in and studying education. It helps to understand the development of the educational process in Jordan and the challenges it faces, including the effects of technological, demographic, administrative, and social changes. Thus, the book represents a serious and institutional attempt to understand the retardation in the education system and the necessity to overcome it.

The book's introduction, written by Professor Dr. Ali Mahafzah, titled "Reforming Education in Jordan," reflects on the role of His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal in reforming the educational process in Jordan during the eighties and nineties of the twentieth century.He recalls accompanying the Prince during his visit to Mutah University in 1985, where the Prince asked him about his opinion on the level of education. Dr. Mahafzah expressed his concern about it compared to the levels in developed countries, noting the serious consequences for the country. The introduction explains how this conversation led to a meeting at the Ministry of Planning two weeks later, where a number of experts were proposed to develop education in Jordan. When the Prince asked Dr. Mahafzah about his opinion on the proposed names, he replied, "Only its calves plough the land," indicating that foreign experts would not be the best choice to understand and update the Jordanian educational system. A week later, the Prince invited Dr. Mahafzah again, and this time the meeting was attended by Dr. Nasser Al-Din Al-Assad, then Minister of Higher Education in Zaid Al-Rifai's government, marking the beginning of a Princely vision to select members of the Jordanian Committee for the Reform of General and Higher Education. Indeed, the committee members were chosen, and the Prince stated that he would contact the Prime Minister to issue a decision to form the committee and define its tasks. Consequently, the Prime Minister issued a letter on 12/44/1985, forming the committee as follows: Dr. Ali Mahafzah (as chairman), Dr. Omar Al-Sheikh, Dr. Farid Abu Zeinah, Dr. Louis Maqtash, Dr. Suheban Khalifat, Dr. Omayma Al-Dahan, Dr. Ziad Freiz, Dr. Ahmad Al-Bashaireh, Dr. Munther Al-Masri, Dr. Adawiyya Al-Alami, Dr. Ali Al-Zughul, Dr. Bassam Al-Saket, as members. The letter specified the tasks of the "Education Policy Committee in Jordan" as developing the perceptions, starting points, and political pillars that collectively constitute the educational policy in Jordan, in preparation for their discussion in the specialized councils. Dr. Mahafzah adds that the committee started holding its meetings every Thursday evening in the office of Mutah University's liaison, located behind Zahran Palace. He elaborates on the working mechanisms, details, times, and methods followed by the committee in the book's introduction and points out the effort made by Prince Hassan, which complemented the committee's work and paralleled it. He also mentioned the Prince's tours around the kingdom's schools, accompanied by the Minister of Education and some committee members. Dr. Mahafzah then moves on to discuss the initial report prepared by the committee in 1986 about the results it had reached. Regarding the preliminary report, Dr. Mahafzah recalls the meeting held at the Ministry of Energy building near the Seventh Circle in Jabal Amman to present its results, attended by King Hussein, Prince Hassan, the Crown Prince at the time, Prime Minister Zaid Al-Rifai, the Ministers of Higher Education and Education, senior officials from both ministries, members of the Education Policy Committee, the presidents of the University of Jordan and Yarmouk University, the Chief of Staff of the Army, some ministers, and others. Dr. Mahafzah elaborates that he explained the committee's work and results, adding that some attendees were not satisfied with the idea of reforming education, referring to the prevailing martial law at that time, and that talking about educational democracy did not suit some of them. Therefore, the King asked Dr. Mahafzah about what he meant by educational democracy, which, according to Dr. Mahafzah, means that education should be for all Jordanians, regardless of their origins, backgrounds, and social classes. The committee continued its work and chose a number of professors from the three Jordanian universities to discuss issues related to higher education, to examine various aspects of university life, to identify its strengths and weaknesses, and to propose solutions to address the imbalance.

Dr. Mahafzah continues in the book's introduction, saying that the final report of the Education Committee was issued in January 1987 and consisted of two parts: the first dealt with the educational and educational reality in various stages of education; i.e., pre-school education (kindergartens), general education, including compulsory education, secondary education, and the problems and needs it faces, educational administration and its problems, curricula, school textbooks and their weaknesses and deficiencies, educational evaluation and examinations, school buildings and their facilities, and the situation of teachers in these educational stages in terms of academic achievement, training, and efficiency. The second part included the new educational policy, which includes the pillars of educational policy and its objectives, and its content, which contains the educational structure, educational curricula, educational evaluation and examinations, the teacher, school buildings, planning, educational administration, and funding, and this part contained ways to implement this educational policy. In this context, Dr. Mahafzah refers to the new plan that included building schools in various parts of the kingdom to replace unsuitable rented schools in the next ten years. He then addresses the prominent role of Prince Hassan; after the Prime Minister received the report, he referred it to the Minister of Education, Mr. Thuqan Al-Hindawi, and the Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Nasser Al-Din Al-Assad, for study and benefit. This report could have faced the same fate of neglect as previous reports and studies had it not been for the intervention of Prince Hassan, who asked the Minister of Education to present the report to the Education Council in the ministry. The report was presented to the aforementioned council in the presence of Prince Hassan and Dr. Mahafzah, where Dr. Mahafzah mentioned that the first session to discuss the report on 18/2/1987 was very noisy.

It is worth mentioning that the council included former Ministers of Education and some rigid religious leaders who considered the report to be diminishing their previous efforts and condemning their past educational policies. Mahafzah adds that the Prince's intervention was crucial as he pointed out that the report's aim was not to offend anyone but to advance education to keep up with the times. The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education was a member of the committee that prepared the report, and the Prince held esteem and respect for those who contributed to Jordan's educational journey. Mahafzah then continues discussing the report's outcomes, the discussions held, and the committees formed. He notes that his membership in the Council of Education and Teaching ended in 1989 after his tenure as the President of Yarmouk University ended, and he returned to the council in 1990 after becoming the President of the same university. He points out that the council was supposed to follow up on the implementation of the decisions of the Educational Development Conference held in 1987, but it did not do so. He then turns to higher education, where he had been a member since 1985 until the end of 1993, by virtue of being the President of Mutah University and then Yarmouk University consecutively. The Higher Education Council formed a working group for higher education policy under his chairmanship, with members including Dr. Fawzi Gharaibeh, Dr. Mohammed Hamdan, and Dr. Victor Billeh. The task of this group was to review the recommendations in the new educational policy report issued in January 1987 and suggest ways to implement them at the level of Jordanian universities and community colleges. Mahafzah elaborates on the details of the committees, providing information about their working mechanisms, the development of education, the changes it underwent, the relationship between different sectors of the country and their intersection with education. At the end of the book's introduction, Mahafzah asks: How can we catch up with scientifically and technologically advanced nations while we are in this state of backwardness and apathy? He then comments on the current need for educational reform with a passage stating, "The reform process in this field is not easy; it requires distinguished experts and competencies in the field of education, years of continuous, serious work, precise and intensive follow-up, as well as support and assistance from various effective social groups who believe in reform and modernization, and the political and social forces that support and are enthusiastic about it. I believe that in our current situation, it is necessary for His Majesty the King or His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to be the drivers of the educational reform process, and without their direct and continuous support and intervention, what we hope for in terms of progress and advancement for our country will not be achieved."
The book also publishes the names of the members of the Education Policy Committee in Jordan, formed by a decision of the Prime Minister dated 11/12/1985, with Professor Dr. Ali Mahafzah as the chairman. The committee consisted of 12 members, and the following page includes a copy of the letter from the Prime Minister's office forming the committee.

After the introduction, the book moves to a summary of the "Education Policy Committee in Jordan" report of January 1987, which consists of two parts discussing the problems and results related to all educational affairs. The first part deals with the educational reality in different stages of education, including pre-school education (kindergartens), general education, compulsory education, secondary education, educational administration, study plans and curricula, school books, educational evaluation and examinations, and the state of school buildings and facilities. The report then moves to technical education (community colleges), delving into university teaching, legislations and university administration, postgraduate studies, scientific research, and then touches upon the role of universities in society, university students, their concepts, and their problems.

The second part of the report is titled "The New Educational Policy," aiming to provide quality education for Jordanian youth, enabling them to live efficiently and effectively in the 21st-century society. It seeks to align the educational system with the current and future needs of the Jordanian society, and to improve and enhance education. This policy is based on intellectual, national, Arab, and social pillars derived from our Islamic and national heritage, the goals of the Great Arab Revolt, the country's constitution, and the Jordanian national experience with its political, economic, and social dimensions. As per the report, the content of the "New" Educational Policy includes the educational structure, with an explanation of its rationale followed by an illustrative diagram showing the proposed educational ladder. The report then delves into educational curricula, dividing it into five main axes: pre-school education, Primary education, secondary education, technical education, and university education. It discusses educational evaluation and examinations, developing an effective evaluation program in schools and educational institutions. It also examines the teacher and the professional and academic requirements needed for the teaching profession, then explores school buildings, planning, educational administration, and funding for education. The report then reveals ways to implement the new educational policy, including presenting it for discussion in the Council of Education and Higher Education, holding a national conference representing various educational, economic, and social sectors, and tasking the drafting committee formed from the "Education Policy Committee in Jordan" to review and redraft the report. This is followed by submitting the revised report to the Prime Minister, who then endorses it and recommends revising the Education Law No. 16 of 1964, the Higher Education Law, the laws of Jordanian universities, and related educational legislations, in light of the new educational policy. Subsequently, a general committee is formed to follow up on the implementation of the educational policy, and then the Ministries of Education and Higher Education, the Vocational Training Corporation, and the universities develop detailed implementation plans for aspects of that policy.

The book then delves into the details of the Education Policy Committee's report issued in January 1987, providing a detailed explanation of all the axes and details previously mentioned in its summary, but with more information, data, and figures. The report is divided, as previously mentioned, into two main parts; the first being the educational reality, divided into four main axes: pre-school, general education, technical education, and university education. It includes details, data, and information, focusing on their problems and ways to develop and improve them.
The second part provides a detailed description of the educational policies previously mentioned, analyzing and discussing them in detail, divided into four main axes: the foundations of educational policy, its objectives, its content, and ways of implementation.

Conclusion of the Summary:

This book is an important addition to the Jordanian library; it is not only a scientific document but also a time capsule containing a memory that shows the awareness of the state and government. It testifies to the genuine Jordanian efforts made diligently to advance Jordanian education, develop the educational and teaching process, and use all available means to make Jordan an educational model. The book also contains historical details and an overview of the mechanisms of decision-making and formulation, focusing on the important role of the Hashemites in steering the course of progress. This is evident through the decisions of His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal, who believed - and still believes - in the importance of education for the advancement of the country and the importance of the Jordanian workforce. These details were mentioned by Dr. Ali Mahafzah in his introduction to the book, which included the proceedings of the Prince's meetings and visits that Mahafzah accompanied. In addition, this book serves as an essential foundation for anyone interested in education and development in Jordan, as its pages contain important data, figures, and statistics that can be used to improve the quality of Jordanian education through new methods derived from the data in the book. The 1987 Jordan Education Policy Committee document provides those interested in the history of education and its students with a wealth of information and data, enabling them to understand the fate of the Jordanian educational issue and foresee its future considering the current technological advancements and their demographic, technological, administrative, and social implications. This book also serves as a scientific archive for a period that brought much to the world politically, economically, and socially, and posed a significant challenge to Jordan and the entire world as the face of the world changed with the onset of globalization. The efforts mentioned in the book played a significant role in allowing Jordan to smoothly transition into the 21st century through the establishment of educational and teaching methods that combined national concepts with new global openness. Jordan is now entering its second century amid continuous development and a Hashemite vision towards education and its development.

The book's pages show that the symbol of Jordan and its great historian, Professor Dr. Ali Mahafzah, still carries the responsibility of developing Jordan and building a promising future for it. He continues to offer his knowledge and life for this purpose, as his advice and constructive criticism, written with a loving eye, are evident in his introduction. Mahafzah does not hide his deep belief in the Hashemites, especially His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, indicating that they are best equipped to maintain Jordan's educational achievements and develop the educational process in the near future. Dr. Ali Mahafzah also points out in his book that educational reform was directly adopted by King Hussein and Prince Hassan, the Crown Prince, and today we witness the same scenario; the current educational reform is advocated by King Abdullah II and His Royal Highness Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, the Crown Prince.