The Administrative Committee of the Senate, chaired by Senator Tawfiq Kreshan, approved the draft law amending the Law for Restructuring Government Institutions and Departments for the year 2025, as presented by the House of Representatives.
اضافة اعلان
This came during a meeting held by the committee on Sunday, with the attendance of the Minister of Government Communications and Spokesperson for the Government, Dr. Mohammad Al-Momani, Minister of State for Public Sector Development, Dr. Khair Abu Sailek, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Mamoun Al-Dabbi, Secretary-General of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, Dr. Mashhour Al-Rifai, Head of the Higher Education Accreditation Commission, Dr. Zafer Al-Saraireh, and Director of Institutional Development, Engineer Haitham Al-Qaqa.
Senator Kreshan stated that the committee approved the amended draft law after considering all perspectives on the reasons for the amendments and their alignment with the broader public sector modernization agenda. He emphasized the committee’s commitment to passing laws that align with contemporary needs and fulfill the objectives of administrative reform and improving government efficiency.
Kreshan praised the move towards merging agencies and institutions with similar roles in order to unify efforts to improve the public sector's efficiency, enhance the performance and quality of government services, and ensure resource optimization without compromising the rights of employees in ministries, institutions, and government agencies.
For his part, Minister Al-Momani discussed the amendment contained in the draft law, which involves no longer restricting the presidency of the boards of directors of the Jordan Radio and Television Corporation and the Jordan News Agency (Petra) to the Minister of Government Communications. He confirmed that the legislative change aims to give more independence to official media institutions, which was previously limited by the law to the Minister of Government Communications.
Minister Al-Momani pointed out that one of the main indicators of media independence is its professional autonomy, which enhances the quality of decision-making within these institutions. He described the proposed amendment as "reformative" and noted that the strength of both public and private media institutions remains a key element of the country's power.
Minister Abu Sailek explained that the amendment is part of an educational reform project in the Kingdom and is considered part of a larger reform plan for the education system, which will involve merging the Ministry of Education with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
He also highlighted that the merger of the Professional and Technical Skills Development Authority with the Higher Education Accreditation Commission is a result of their similar functions. He added that once the revised draft law is approved by both chambers of Parliament, the government will later present separate draft laws for the "Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission" and the "Ministry of Education and Human Resources."
The amended law aims, according to its justifications, to merge the Professional and Technical Skills Development Authority with the Higher Education Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission into one entity called the "Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission." This would allow the commission to perform regulatory, accreditation, and quality assurance tasks across all aspects of the education and human resources system.
Additionally, the law proposes transferring the Vocational and Technical Education and Skills Development Fund, currently housed in the Professional and Technical Skills Development Authority, to the Ministry of Labor, and transferring the Scientific Research and Innovation Fund, established in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, to the Higher Council for Science and Technology. The law also addresses the provisions related to these transfers.
Furthermore, the law seeks to enhance the independence of media institutions and support their efforts by removing the restriction that limits the presidency of the boards of Jordan Radio and Television Corporation and Petra News Agency to the Minister of Government Communications. Instead, it grants the Prime Minister the authority to appoint a suitable person for these roles, in line with best practices for media independence.
