The House of Representatives will continue discussing the 2026 Draft Law on the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority during a legislative session on Tuesday, starting with Article 6.
The draft law complements the Draft Law Regulating Professional Work, which deals with licensing vocational training service providers, granting graduates of vocational training programs licenses to practice their professions, and accrediting trainers. Meanwhile, the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority Law focuses on the accreditation and quality control of these programs and aligning them with labor market requirements.
The draft law represents an important step toward developing the education and training system and aligning educational outcomes with labor market needs, in line with the Economic Modernization Vision and the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap.
It seeks to strengthen the role of the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority in improving the quality of education at all levels, enhancing the efficiency of educational outcomes, and increasing the competitiveness of graduates locally, regionally and internationally.
The draft law aims to unify the reference framework for accreditation and quality assurance procedures, integrate policies, improve the efficiency of the monitoring and evaluation system, enhance the performance of educational and training institutions, and strengthen their ability to comply with national and international standards.
These measures are expected to have a positive impact on education quality, the ranking of Jordanian universities in global rankings, and the competitiveness of graduates in local and international labor markets.
The legislation expands the authority’s scope of work to include the accreditation and quality assurance of general education institutions of all types, including public and private schools and kindergartens, in addition to higher education institutions and vocational and technical education and training institutions.
This will establish a unified national framework aimed at integrating roles and standardizing accreditation and quality assurance procedures, while organizing education and training pathways, improving the ability to move between them, and increasing the reliability of qualifications both locally and internationally.
The draft law grants the authority powers to recognize non-Jordanian educational institutions, including schools and universities, equate certificates and qualifications issued by them, and authenticate documents, certificates and qualifications inside and outside the Kingdom.
This is expected to strengthen confidence in Jordanian qualifications and support their international recognition by applying quality standards comparable to leading global practices.
During a session held Sunday under the chairmanship of House Speaker Mazen Al-Qadi, and attended by members of the government team, the House approved Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the draft law.
Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Abdul Mon’em Al-Odat said the draft law does not establish a new independent authority, explaining that its primary purpose is to merge two existing independent authorities into a single entity under the name “Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority.”
Al-Odat said the merger involves the Skills Development and Vocational Training Authority and the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutions.
He noted that the legislation should be read in conjunction with the Professional Work Regulation Law, which redistributed powers and responsibilities. Some training responsibilities were assigned to the Ministry of Labour, while the remaining responsibilities remained under the umbrella of accreditation and quality assurance.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutions, Dhafer Al-Sarayreh, said there is no overlap in powers between the authority and the ministries of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Labour.
He added that the governance system clearly distinguishes between licensing and accreditation responsibilities. The powers of the relevant ministries and councils primarily focus on licensing the establishment of educational institutions and vocational and technical training institutions, while the Accreditation Authority is responsible for the general and specific accreditation of educational and training programs.
Al-Sarayreh explained that certain regulatory responsibilities will be transferred from the authority to the Ministry of Labour, as the authority is the legal successor to the Technical and Vocational Skills Development Authority, which was merged with the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission.
