The House of Representatives will continue on Tuesday discussing the agenda of session (22) of the second ordinary session, which includes the draft Law on Education and Human Resources Development for 2026, starting from Article (3).
On Monday, the House approved Article 2 of the draft law, which consists of 29 articles in total. Earlier, during a session held on Sunday, it had approved Article 1.
At the beginning of last February, the House had referred the draft law to the Parliamentary Education Committee, which approved it at the beginning of this month as submitted by the government, with some amendments.
It is worth noting that the Council of Ministers had approved the draft Law on Education, Teaching, and Human Resources Development on January 12, in preparation for referring it to the House of Representatives to proceed with constitutional approval procedures.
The draft law comes as part of ongoing efforts to restructure and modernize the education sector in the Kingdom, in line with the government’s commitment to implementing the Economic Modernization Vision and the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap and their associated initiatives. These include establishing a Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development as the legal successor to the Ministries of Education and of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
The draft law reflects the outcome of extensive scientific efforts over the past period, including a comprehensive and systematic evaluation of the education sector based on best practices, with the participation of experts, academics, and specialists.
It was developed in response to the need to unify the authorities responsible for the education and human resources development system across all educational stages, supporting the advancement and development of education and establishing a new structural framework for the system.
The law aims to improve the quality of education at all levels in accordance with national and international standards, enhance outcomes, and strengthen competitiveness. It is based on key priorities and foundations that support scientific research and innovation while ensuring sustainable development and continued provision of free basic education.
It also seeks to develop graduates’ skills to enhance their competitiveness in the labor market by aligning education outcomes with labor market and development needs, as well as strengthening the independence of Jordanian universities.
Among the key features of the new system and legislative amendments is the establishment of a national council, chaired by the Prime Minister, responsible for approving national policies for human resources development. The new Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development will be responsible for policymaking across all educational stages, including early childhood education, basic and secondary education, higher education, and vocational and technical education and training.
The new system also aims to ensure advanced quality standards through a unified accreditation and quality assurance body, expanding its scope to include all educational and training institutions across all stages, both public and private. It also seeks to enhance efficiency and effectiveness by designing a new administrative structure for the ministry consisting of nine general directorates, with broad delegation of executive powers to education directorates, whose number will be reduced in proportion to student populations and geographic areas.
The draft law further aims to strengthen university autonomy and reduce the ministry’s role in higher education to focus on policymaking, setting technical standards, licensing institutions, ensuring alignment between higher education and technical and vocational training outcomes with labor market needs, and approving strategies.
