Jordan Nationwide Assessment in Public Schools for Strategic Planning 2015-2016

Jordan, with a population of just over 6 million, has absorbed more than half a million Syrian refugees since 2011. Syrian children as well as Jordanian children are attending schools overstrained by the influx of Syrian students. According to the Ministry of Education more than 56 per cent of Syrian children, were not receiving formal schooling in 2015. In urban communities across Jordan, the Ministry of Education is still looking for a way to include more Syrian children. Overcrowding of the educational system has tremendous impact both on the infrastructure and the children and represents a major challenge for the Ministry of Education. Every year more and more children need to be accommodated in the already overcrowded conditions.

The nationwide mapping and assessment of public schools in Jordan was initiated and completed by the Ministry of Education (MoE), JEN and UNICEF. The objective of the assessment and mapping was to identify system-wide strengths, weaknesses and gaps in relation to international standards regarding the school structures, with the aim of guiding strategic actions to ensure favorable learning environment for children.

The results of this assessment take into account only the situation in 2015 and are based on internationally recognized standards for education in emergency and post-conflict situations. Absorption of children left out of the educational system and the increasing number of both Jordanian and Syrian children were not taken into consideration.

Some of the key findings include: structural gaps in school conditions regarding classroom space, water and sanitation, and accessibility; as well as soft components comprising child protection, social mobilization and capacity building.