Over the past two years, the education and higher education sectors have witnessed a series of projects, programs and decisions aimed at expanding school capacity, improving students’ access to education, linking educational pathways with skills and labor market needs, and developing inclusive and digital education, while expanding support for students and teachers.
اضافة اعلان
The government fully settled the accumulated debt owed by the University Student Support Fund to public universities, amounting to about JD 80 million, during the current year.
As part of efforts to support public universities and strengthen their financial stability, the government also provided JD 40 million in direct support this year and addressed arrears owed to public universities worth nearly JD 100 million as part of a package of government decisions to settle accumulated obligations.
Expanding School Infrastructure
Education sector data show that school infrastructure was one of the key areas of government intervention over the past two years, in response to rising student numbers and challenges related to overcrowding, rented school buildings and the two-shift system.
The expansion of school infrastructure is part of efforts to address the actual needs of different areas and increase the capacity of public schools, while reducing reliance on rented buildings and the two-shift system. Some school projects were implemented through corporate social responsibility contributions and programs.
According to the data, 120 new schools were established between September 2024 and August 2026, including 34 schools from September 2024 through August 2025 and 86 schools by last August. In addition, 132 expansion projects were carried out at existing schools, including classrooms, laboratories, kindergartens, workshops and other educational facilities.
A total of 95 rented school buildings were also vacated, while school construction and expansion projects benefited an estimated 129,000 students over the two-year period, reflecting efforts to address overcrowding and reduce reliance on rented buildings and the two-shift system.
The government is continuing to build new schools, with work launched on 30 new model schools similar to those previously established. The schools, costing approximately JD 40 million, are being built through a social responsibility project across various governorates and are expected to be completed within a year. They will add to the 86 new schools completed over the past 12 months.
School Transport Expanded
To improve access to schools, the government began implementing the first phase of a school transportation project in the Southern Badia and Aqaba, aimed at providing safe and regular transportation for students as well as teaching and administrative staff and supporting regular school attendance.
The first phase covers 61 schools and approximately 9,000 students, along with around 900 teachers and administrative staff. It is being implemented using 110 dedicated buses and 10 backup buses, according to project data.
The project targets areas in the Southern Badia and Aqaba, with gradual expansion of the school transport system planned following the launch of the first phase during the 2026/2027 academic year.
Implementation will be monitored by education directorates and relevant committees, with the aim of improving students’ access to schools, enhancing attendance and easing part of the transportation burden on families in the targeted areas.
Rapid Expansion of BTEC
Alongside the expansion of school infrastructure and transportation, vocational and technical education under the BTEC pathway has expanded in terms of the number of schools, capacity and specializations.
The number of schools offering BTEC specializations increased from 261 in 2024 to 362 this year, an increase of 101 schools. Capacity also rose from 44,450 to 62,225 students.
The number of vocational and technical specializations increased to 14 after eight additional specializations were introduced and equipped, as part of efforts to broaden students’ options and align education with labor market needs.
To support applied education, 331 schools were equipped with 20,000 computers serving around 32,000 students under the BTEC project, alongside expanded digital equipment inside schools.
Inclusive and Early Childhood Education
In inclusive education, the number of public schools equipped to receive students with disabilities increased to 1,561, equivalent to 41% of all public schools. These schools serve around 30,200 students across the Kingdom, with work continuing to prepare additional schools.
At the early childhood education level, kindergarten enrollment reached 70.5% of the target age group, with 7,150 classrooms available.
Children in areas lacking sufficient capacity are also being supported through education vouchers that allow them to attend the second kindergarten level free of charge at private kindergartens available in their areas. A total of 1,041 children benefited from the program during the 2025/2026 academic year.
Teacher Training and Support
Measures over the past two years also included improvements in teacher preparation and training. Each year, 4,000 male and female teachers are sent on scholarships under a pre-service diploma program funded by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development in cooperation with public universities.
Meanwhile, 22,953 teachers joined in-service training programs during 2025 and 2026.
The government also expanded several teacher support programs, including emergency loans, which benefited 11,213 teachers in 2025 and 5,891 during the current year.
The percentage allocated under the teachers’ children university scholarship initiative was also increased from 5% to 10%, while 5% of grants and loans from the University Student Support Fund were allocated to teachers’ children.
More than 1,039 plots of land were allocated for teacher housing at prices less than 50% of their value, while the number of teachers benefiting from Hajj scholarships increased from 60 to 120.
The government also increased funding for the school nutrition program by JD 2 million, helping provide healthy meals to around 45,000 students in public schools.
Digital Education Expands
Digital education services, platforms and infrastructure also expanded. The “Ajyal” platform was launched and expanded as a national tool for inclusive education, with more than 2.26 million students registered, in addition to around 146,000 teachers.
The “Siraj” smart assistant was also launched and linked to the ministry’s curricula, reaching around 1.3 million active users. The number of digital curricula available increased from 1,247 to 1,909.
In terms of schools’ digital infrastructure, Wi-Fi service has reached 1,500 schools, with work underway to cover an additional 2,057 schools by 2027. Internet capacity has also been increased, alongside expansion of fiber-optic networks and satellite internet services to serve schools in remote areas.
Jordan Advances in Global Knowledge Index
At the international level, Jordan made progress in the 2025 Global Knowledge Index, climbing 24 places to rank 73rd out of 195 countries. The improvement marked the third consecutive year of progress and provides an indicator of development in the country’s knowledge ecosystem, alongside projects and results achieved in schools, skills and educational services.
Higher Education Support
Government interventions also extended to higher education, with allocations for the University Student Support Fund under the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development budget raised to JD 40 million. This is expected to increase the number of students benefiting from domestic grants and loans to around 63,000.
The sector’s legislative framework was also updated with the enactment of the Education and Human Resources Development Law No. 13 of 2026 and the amended Jordanian Universities Law No. 14 of 2026, as part of efforts to modernize legislation governing education and higher education.
The achievements of the past two years indicate that work in the education sector has extended beyond building schools and increasing the number of programs. It has included improving access to schools through transportation, expanding capacity, developing vocational, technical and inclusive education, supporting teachers and students, strengthening digital infrastructure, and fully settling the accumulated debt owed by the University Student Support Fund to public universities.
