Education Ministry plans to build 26 model schools worth 100 million euros

AMMAN — The Ministry of Education plans to build 26 model schools in the coming two years at a cost of 100 million euros financed by international donors, according to Ibraheem Al-Samamah, director of Buildings and International Projects at the Ministry of Education.اضافة اعلان

Samamah told Jordan News that out of the total sum pledged, Germany's KfW Development Bank will contribute 65 million euros while the rest will be paid by the EU. He said negotiations are underway with KfW to obtain a further 100-million-euro loan to build another 25 to 30 schools.

Samamah said that locations for four schools have already been selected for the first phase of the project. Design plans are being drawn up for the second phase, which will see the construction of 14 schools across the Kingdom.

He said that a model school is a structure that will feature all the necessary facilities, including labs and playgrounds, and will have disabled-friendly access. Samamah said that the KfW will also fund a maintenance project covering all the Kingdom's schools at a cost of 40 million euros. 

According to a USAID report, while access to education is widespread in Jordan, challenges remain, describing schools in the kingdom as “overcrowded and in varying states of disrepair".

By 2018, KfW bank's financial cooperation portfolio with Jordan came to around 850 million euros. KfW's deputy director, Sawsan Arouri, said that the bank’s total outlay for current projects in Jordan stands at 390 million euros, earmarked to improve the educational environment.

Arouri acknowledged that the influx of Syrian refugees has negatively affected the educational sector in Jordan, citing 134,000 Syrian children that have joined existing schools in Jordan, which has led to overcrowding.

She said that 40,000 students will benefit from the new school buildings, noting that the selection of sites for the school is being coordinated between the government and the bank's experts.

The total financial support for the new project and maintenance of schools stands at 240 million euros Arouri said, including the loan under negotiation. 

Read more National