Parents of students in Jordan are eagerly anticipating a decision from the Ministry of Education regarding the commencement times for their children's schools by the end of October.

This follows the government's decision to maintain daylight saving time in the kingdom.

The ministry's spokesperson, Ahmed Masa'feh, said that the decision to adjust school hours in Jordan in line with the arrival of winter is contingent on a resolution by the Prime Ministry regarding the continuation of daylight saving time or a return to standard time.

Ensuring the well-being of students and school staff remains a top priority for the ministry, whether it involves maintaining the current schedule or making adjustments, Masa'feh added.

In the event that daylight saving time is retained, school start times would be postponed to ensure that students can travel to their schools without apprehension, particularly due to the early hours, which can be dim, particularly for elementary and middle school students.

Last year, the decision to maintain daylight saving time in Jordan was met with significant opposition from some parents. This was due to concerns about students and university attendees having to leave for their respective institutions very early in the morning, before sunrise, which was viewed as potentially jeopardizing their safety.

As a result, the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research, Wajih Owais, decided to set the start time for students at 8:15 AM, with the first session commencing at 8:30 AM.

This represented a change from the previous practice of all schools opening their doors to receive students at 7:45 AM. This adjustment aimed to allow parents, especially those who are employed, to ensure their children arrive at school before the start of official working hours, which commence at 8:30 AM.

Regarding university students, the determination of their class hours was left to the university administrations to decide what they deemed appropriate, taking into account the requirements of the public interest.