On Tuesday, the House of Representatives began discussing the draft of the Amended Jordanian Universities Law for the year 2026.
On May 24, the Cabinet approved the draft law, which aims to align legislation governing university operations with institutional transformation and recent milestone legislative developments in Jordan's education sector. This follows the approved creation of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development as the official and legal successor to both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
اضافة اعلان
The new draft law holds particular importance as the primary reference for regulating education in higher education institutions. Aligning this draft with the recently approved Education and Human Resources Development Law will directly impact educational quality, output efficiency, and universities' capacity to drive economic and social development while adapting to global changes.
Key amendments include reducing the number of board of trustees members in public and private universities from 13 to 9. This change aims to improve decision-making efficiency and speed, positively impacting governance in higher education institutions through streamlined boards with clearer authorities.
The draft law also amends the selection process for public university presidents. The university's board of trustees will recommend a presidential candidate to the Higher Education Council, which in turn will nominate the candidate to the Prime Minister. This steps up the role of boards of trustees in public universities.
Additionally, the scope of the new law has been expanded to cover various higher education institutions, including university colleges and community colleges. The current universities law does not clearly or comprehensively cover university and community colleges despite their vital role in training technical and professional cadres, supplying the labor market with applied specialties, and supporting post-secondary education.
This amendment aligns with national efforts to modernize the public sector, improve higher education quality, link it to labor market demands, and align national legislation with best international practices in higher education governance.
The appointment mechanism for private university presidents remains unchanged; they are nominated by their boards of trustees and appointed by the Higher Education Council.
Parliamentary Committees
Following the session, the House Legal Committee will discuss the draft of the Amended Real Estate Property Law for the year 2026, which is expected to be approved during the meeting.
The draft law aims to enable the Department of Land and Survey to study the real estate market and issue related reports and data based on real estate data collection and analysis. This will provide clear performance indicators and studies reflecting market realities, allowing for rapid responses to market changes.
It also drives digital transformation in the Department of Land and Survey's procedures by adopting electronic transactions and electronic signatures for executing and certifying contracts, receiving applications, issuing documents and deeds, conducting notifications electronically, and utilizing electronic payment methods.
