Goethe-Institut Jordan along with Jordanian and German partners presents initiative on Entrepreneurship Education in Schools working with Jordanian schools, teachers and students to encourage skills like critical thinking, problem solving, innovation and self-motivation.

CONCENTRATING ON FUTURE LEADERS

Jordan currently sees a great number of activities focusing on supporting entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills. Programs developed with and for school are, however, still the exception. Developing entrepreneurial mindsets, competencies and practices starting at an early age will most likely have long-lasting and transformational effects on students‘ preparedness for university education, individual career planning and will enable them to become future leaders both in the business world as well as in their own communities.

Believing in this kind of transformation, the Goethe-Institut Jordan together with the German Institute for Economic Education (IÖB, University of Oldenburg) and in cooperation with the German-Jordanian University as well as with five Jordanian schools launched the project ”Entrepreneurship in school practices in Jordan“ in 2019. The participating schools were The Ahliyyah School for Girls and The Bishop's School for Boys, Al Assriyya Schools, Islamic Educational College (Jubaiha and Jabal Amman), Al Saadah Schools and The Jubilee School. The project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office within the German-Arab Transformational Partnership Program (for more information on Goethe-Institut initiatives: https://www.goethe.de/ins/eg/de/kul/sup/duw.html).
The main goal of the project is to lay a foundation for teacher training and curriculum development for entrepreneurial thinking and 21st-century competencies in schools.

FOCUSSING ON TEACHER QUALIFICATION

As a first measure, directors of the partner schools traveled to the city of Oldenburg in the north of Germany to gather and exchange ideas on entrepreneurship education in workshops organized by the partnering Institute for Economic Education. The principals welcomed the opportunity to network, share experiences and hear about new ideas on entrepreneurship education. "The most important aspect gained from the trip was the networking that took place which was an important step to exchange the ideas of the two educational systems," said one of the participants.

Based on the discussions during this encounter, two pilot teacher training took place focussing on project management, career planning and teaching methods in entrepreneurship education. The training was accompanied by tailor-made material and handouts ready to be used in the classrooms. Teachers were encouraged to put the learnings into action by being provided with a fund for school projects. The students’ project ideas reflected environmental awareness and a keen sense of sustainability. Student entrepreneurs said that they wished to create a business that enables them to have a good impact on society and we're very proud of their achievement. "I believe in giving equal opportunities to those with unequal conditions, so I took the opportunity to design a product for the handicapped," one of the participating students remarked.

"The success of this pilot year gives a great perspective for the next phase of the project starting in 2020. This phase will again provide more teacher training but also introduce a train-the-trainer component," said Laura Hartz, the Director of the Goethe-Institut Jordan.