His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday urged the commencement of a series of projects in the Jerash Governorate to upgrade health, educational and cultural services offered to citizens.
Following a visit to the Bab Amman Elementary School in the governorate yesterday, King Abdullah issued a directive for the construction of a new school to replace the current facility, where the atmosphere is not conducive to learning.
The five-room school is overcrowded, with more than 30-40 students in each class. The rented building, which is not equipped with a heating system, also has no library and computer lab.
“With these conditions, we cannot provide the students with a proper study atmosphere, which affects their academic performance,” said Bassem Rashid, the school principal.
He added that the school's playground is small and cannot accommodate all the students. As a result they do not receive physical education or participate in sports.
“The school is very small, but I am happy with my friends. I hope to be in a better school so I can play football,” nine-year-old Fares said.
Also yesterday, the King instructed that another school be constructed in the Burma District of Jerash to replace Al Fuwwarah Basic School for Girls. The existing facility, which houses 150 students, is also rented and overcrowded.
During a visit to the Jerash Healthcare Centre, King Abdullah was briefed on its requirements and instructed the concerned authorities to establish a comprehensive healthcare centre to replace it, as officials said it could not cope with the increasing number of patients.
“The current centre is in need of more medical staff, the rooms are small and do not meet the demands as we receive between 200-300 patients everyday. The centre also needs to be relocated because it is situated in the middle of the governorate's commercial area,” Fawzi Rsheidat, head of the centre, said.
During a visit to the governorate yesterday, the King also ordered the allocation of a plot of land to be used for the establishment of a cultural centre for area residents.
In a meeting with representatives from various areas of the governorate, King Abdullah was briefed on citizens' concerns and urged authorities to study and address them.
Residents called for upgrading the district's education services, establishing a centre to market local handicrafts and the creation of a vehicle maintenance workshop. In addition, they said they would like to see a university college open in the governorate.
Munirah Odeibat, a women's representative, asked for support of income-generating projects for women that would help improve families' living standards.
Jerash residents at the meeting also requested increasing the appointments of officers from the governorate in the Jordan Armed Forces.
In addition, they called for accelerating the licensing of a proposed JD100 million tourism project, stressing the significance of this plan for the governorate.
Environmentalists fear the ecological ramifications of the 500-dunum tourist complex will wreak havoc in one of the country's few remaining forests. An environmental consulting agency is due to issue an environmental impact assessment of the proposed Dibbeen tourist complex in the next two months. The report will signal whether construction on the project can begin in the forest located in Jerash Governorate.
Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khalid Touqan, who accompanied the King on yesterday's visit, said the ministry would study the situation of all schools in the governorate and gradually start maintenance work on those in need of improvement.
“I will personally follow up on the implementation of these projects and follow up with the government in this regard,” King Abdullah told the community leaders, stressing the importance of completing the ventures within six months.
The Jordan Times