Former education minister: Jordan needs 50 new schools annually to address overcrowding

Ibrahim Badran, former Minister of Education, explained that recent years have seen increased overcrowding in Jordanian schools due to a surge in students moving from private institutions to public ones.

Badran observed that the trend of transferring students from private to public schools is a natural occurrence, he stated in an interview with Roya on Thursday.

However, under certain conditions, this shift could exceed expectations, necessitating an investigation into the underlying causes of these transitions.

Badran attributed this trend to the rising costs of private education and the influx of refugees into the public school system.

Badran emphasized the urgent need for expanding school infrastructure, noting that Jordan requires the construction of 50 new schools annually to keep pace with population growth.

He urged the relevant authorities to determine whether the migration of students is driven by concerns over the quality of private school education or the financial burden of private schooling.

He proposed that contracting builders to construct new schools with installment payments could help mitigate the issue.

Badran also cautioned against renting school buildings, arguing that such an approach often results in spending equivalent to half the cost of building a new school.

Furthermore, rented facilities are typically not designed for educational purposes and may not provide an ideal learning environment.