The Lower House Education Committee, chaired by MP Ibrahim Qaralleh, approved the 2026 Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission Bill following a series of meetings and consultations held to hear comments and proposals from relevant stakeholders, experts and several former ministers, with the aim of improving the bill and strengthening its provisions.
Speaking during the committee’s meeting on Thursday, attended by Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Azmi Mahafzah and President of the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutions Dhafer Al-Sarayreh, Qaralleh said the committee had adopted a participatory approach in discussing the draft legislation and remained open to all views and proposals that could contribute to its development.
He stressed that the committee approved the bill after taking into consideration the comments and recommendations presented during the discussions.
The meeting was attended by MPs Huda Al-Atoum, Issa Nassar, Rania Al-Khalifat, Ferial Bani Salman, Mohammad Al-Raoud, Iman Al-Abbasi, Ibrahim Al-Humaidi, Ismail Al-Mashaqbeh and Nimr Al-Abadi.
Mahafzah, for his part, stressed that the definition of the accreditation and quality assurance process in the bill should include the evaluation of educational and training institutions as well as their programs, rather than being limited to programs alone.
He also called for the commission’s objectives to be explicitly stated in the law and for some of its provisions to be rearranged to provide a clearer legislative structure.
Al-Sarayreh said the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission Bill complements a package of legislation recently approved, noting that adopting the commission under its current name is consistent with international practices in the fields of accreditation and quality assurance.
He called for a clear distinction between the commission’s objectives and its responsibilities, the establishment of quality units within educational institutions, and the publication of the commission’s periodic reports to enhance transparency.
Al-Sarayreh also proposed limiting the regulation of documents, certificates and qualifications to technical and higher education institutions inside and outside the Kingdom, while leaving implementation mechanisms to subsequent regulations and instructions.
According to the bill’s rationale, the legislation aims to promote a culture of quality and strengthen quality practices across educational institutions, vocational and technical training institutions, and Jordanian and foreign higher education institutions operating in the Kingdom.
It also seeks to encourage these institutions to engage with their international counterparts and accreditation and quality assurance bodies, enhancing their ability to sustain excellence and improve their competitiveness both locally and internationally.
The bill further aims to align learning outcomes with labor market needs in coordination with sector skills councils and in partnership with the private sector, while building the capacities of employees working in educational and training institutions.
It also provides for the establishment of a council for the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission responsible for accrediting and overseeing educational institutions and their programs, accrediting and ensuring the quality of programs offered by vocational and technical training institutions, recognizing non-Jordanian institutions, and granting equivalency to certificates and qualifications issued by them.
