AMMAN — Reducing
class duration in public high schools was received with mixed feelings by
parents and teachers. While some hailed the move as worthy, since students will
not be overwhelmed with information, others said the class duration is
insufficient for students to engage in discussions in packed classrooms.
اضافة اعلان
Last week, the
Ministry of Education said in a circular that classes in government schools
operating a two-shift system was reduced by 10 minutes to 35 minutes to
accommodate the two shifts.
The decision was
prompted by Jordan opting to maintain the daylight saving time throughout the
year, which some have objected to, on grounds that schoolchildren will be
forced to be in school while it is dark and cold in the winter mornings. The
ministry responded by deferring start of classes by 30 minutes to 8:30am.
Educational expert
Mamdouh Al-Hawari told
Jordan News that he supports the decision to
reduce the class period, and finds that it must be applied even to schools
operating a single shift.
He noted that the
reduction of the class period has a positive impact on the “student’s
willingness to fully absorb the information received in the class”.
Some scientific
studies show that the student’s uptake rate from 8am to 12pm hours is much
better than those taken after that, according to Hawari. “Thus, reducing the class time gives the student a higher focus on the
information received to understand it better,” he said.
Fatima Mohammad, a
teacher at a public school operating two shifts, objected to the decision.
“It’s not right,” she told
Jordan News.
“A student is
entitled to have a good duration of time to learn,” she added.
“The
45-minute-classes were sufficient, since students were given their right to get
the information they needed and to discuss, inquire, and ask for explanation of
material or information they did not understand,” she explained.
Mohammad pointed
out that a bit of time is wasted at the start of each class until students
settle in. The first 10 minutes of each lesson are consumed in gathering and
bringing students to the classroom, preparing learning tools and welcoming
them,” she said.
Some scientific studies show that the student’s uptake rate from 8am to 12pm hours is much better than those taken after that, according to Hawari.
Therefore, “with
the reduced time now, students will get only 25 minutes for each lesson,” she
added .
Abu Ahmad, a father
of three children in a public school, told
Jordan News that when the duration
of the class was 45 minutes, the time was insufficient for students to
understand the educational content accurately. “So, can you imaging how it’s
going to be like with only 35 minutes?“ he asked.
He explained that
overcrowded classrooms make it very difficult for all the students to have
quality time asking questions. “This may lead students to misunderstand the
education material they receive,” he pointed out.
Housewife Um
Ibrahim, a mother of two children in a public school, told
Jordan News that some subjects, such as mathematics obligate students to fully understand
the lesson in the classroom because they have nobody to help them at home.
She explained that
teachers are also better qualified to explain the lesson than parents. “Therefore, reducing the duration of the
class makes the task of answering scientific questions and re-explaining the
material harder on parents,” she noted.
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