His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday instructed concerned authorities to propose a comprehensive plan to improve the education sector in the Kingdom.

The plan will serve as guideline for a nationwide specialised conference on strengthening the education sector, King Abdullah said. During the conference, all concerned agencies will work on formulating an action plan according to a clearly defined timeline aimed at improving education in the country and addressing the challenges facing the sector.

Heading a meeting of the Education Council, the King stressed the importance of taking all necessary measures in preparation for the new school year.

His Majesty underlined the need to focus on quality of the education output, which, he said, should be linked to the actual needs of local and international markets.

His Majesty also stressed that students and teachers constitute the major pillars of the education process, underlining the need to build on the tremendous progress achieved in the education sector, which has made Jordan a regional model.

The King listened to a briefing by Minister of Education Fayez Saudi about the ministry’s preparations for the new school year and its future plans. Saudi noted that the ministry’s major priorities include building new schools with high safety standards in remote areas, employing interactive technologies in education and digitising curricula.

In line with Jordan’s pivotal role in the region, Saudi said the ministry will work on enabling children of refugees in the Kingdom to join public schools.

Saudi explained that improving the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) is part of the ministry’s future plans, which also include upgrading the professional skills of teachers.

Ministers and officials present at the meeting called for improving the Tawjihi to meet the needs of the labour market.