Jordan is a Middle Eastern country, bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, Saudi Arabia to the east and south and Israel and the West Bank to the west. All these border lines add up to 1,619 kilometres (1,006 miles). The Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea also touch the country, and thus Jordan has a coastline of 26 kilometres (16 miles).
The population of Jordan was estimated to be approximately 5,924,000 in 2007. Most of the population resides in the governorate of the capital Amman and is mainly considered young, with 50 per cent of the population under 20 years of age.
Over the past eight years, Jordan has embarked on a comprehensive political, social, and economic reform agenda, with the aim of building a modern state based on economic vitality with substantial potential for growth and prosperity, political inclusion, and social stability.
Jordan has come to realize its vision of becoming an active contributor to the global economy with the aim of achieving sustainable economic development, propelling export-led growth, and an enabling investment environment. Accordingly, Jordan has made great strides in opening up and liberalizing its economy, notably in investment and trade-related legislation, and in its privatization programme. The country is open to foreign investment and the investment climate is favorable. To this end, the reform agenda has clearly corresponded to the evolving global trends, and success has been attained in molding a lucrative investment climate, in which businesses can thrive by tapping into the vast world market.
Despite regional instability, Jordan’s economic growth remains strong and inflation is under control. GDP has been growing steadily, scoring 6.4 per cent in 2006. Private investment reached USD 2.5 billion in 2006, compared to USD 1.05 billion in 2005, and USD 589 million in 2004. The fastest growing sectors in 2006 were the manufacturing industry (16.7 per cent), construction (13.1 per cent), telecommunications and transport (11.8 per cent), electricity and water (10.7 per cent), wholesale, retail, restaurants and hotels (9.9 per cent), and the financial and real estate sectors (9.4 per cent).
Jordan has given great attention to education in particular. Its educational system is of international standards and its secondary education programme is accepted in world-class universities. It is ranked 77th in the world according to literacy rate, and the first in the Arab world.
Secondary education consists of two years of school study for students who have completed the ten-year basic cycle. It comprises two major tracks:
- Secondary education, which can either be academic or vocational. At the end of the two-year period, students sit for the general secondary examination (Tawjihi) in the appropriate branch and those who pass are awarded the Tawjihi (General Secondary Education Certificate). The academic stream qualifies students for university entrance, whereas the vocational or technical type qualifies for entrance to community colleges or universities or the job market, provided they pass the two additional subjects.
- Vocational secondary education, which provides intensive vocational training and apprenticeship and leads to the award of a Certificate (not the Tawjihi). This type of education is provided by the Vocational Training Corporation, under the control of the Ministry of Labour / Technical and Vocational Education and Training Higher Council.
After completing the eight or ten years of basic education, Jordanians are free to choose any foreign secondary education programme instead of the Tawjihi examinations (eight for IGCSE, ten for SAT and IB). Such programmes are usually offered by private schools.
Higher education in Jordan comprises two levels:
- A two-year intermediate level programme provided by community colleges and similar institutions owned either by public or private organizations.
- University level, both in public or private universities, providing a variety of degree programmes with a duration of at least four years.
Access to higher education is open to holders of the General Secondary Education Certificate, who can then choose between private community colleges, public community colleges or universities (public and private). The credit-hour system, which entitles students to select courses according to a study plan, is implemented at universities. At present, there are eight public universities plus two newly-licensed ones, and thirteen private universities plus four newly-licensed ones. All post-secondary education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The Ministry includes the Higher Education Council and the Accreditation Council.
Non-university and vocational studies are offered in community colleges, access to which is open to holders of all types of general secondary education certificates. The two- to three-year programme encompasses many fields, such as arts, science, management, business administration and engineering. As of 1997, all public Community Colleges are under the supervision of Al-Balqa Applied University. At the end of the two- or three-year course, students sit for a comprehensive examination (Al-Shamel). Those who pass are awarded the Associate Degree / Diploma.
University level studies consist of:
- First stage: undergraduate level. Most universities in Jordan follow the English-American education systems and are associated with many American and English universities. Bachelor's Degrees normally take four years. In dentistry, pharmacy and engineering, studies last for five years. In medicine, they last for six years, followed by an internship, which lasts for one year. The Bachelor's Degree requires a total of 126 to 164 credit hours, depending on the field of study.
- Second stage: postgraduate level. A Master's degree is awarded after a further one to two years' study following a Bachelor's Degree. It can be obtained either by course work and a thesis (circa 24 credit hours of courses and nine credit hours of research), or by course work (circa 33 credit hours) and a comprehensive examination.
- Third stage: Doctorate. A Doctorate degree is awarded after three to five years of further study and the submission of an original dissertation. It requires, depending on the subject, 24 credit hours of course work and 24 credit hours of research.
The language of instruction is Arabic. English textbooks are used in teaching engineering, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and other scientific subjects at all universities, and is also used at some universities for other subjects, such as accounting, business administration and economics.
There are opportunities in different sectors, particularly at the postgraduate, undergraduate and ELT levels.
The involvement of UK institutions could be seen in targeting public universities that send 100 sponsored student annually. Strong links should be developed to promote the new route PhD and plan efficient placements of students, in addition to negotiating discounts for Jordanian universities. Jordan is relatively a poor country and campaigns should stress affordability.
This remains a relevant and steady market in Jordan. It comprises nearly one third of all Jordanian students studying in the UK. The main target is the students studying for the IGCSE/GCE, reached through built-in house exhibitions, presentations, competitions and promotional campaigns at schools.
This area represents a good possibility for further growth and efforts should be exerted to promote the programme.
Furthermore, there is a growing market in the private universities for joint programmes with UK establishment. In Jordan, public universities are highly regarded and in order to compete and raise the standards, private universities are seeking partnership or joint programmes. So far, the Higher Education Council has not placed any restrictions or regulations regarding such arrangements.
The USA, Canada, Germany, Australia and the American universities in Cairo, Lebanon and Cyprus are the main competitors in the market:
- American universities offer discounts to students, who also benefit from work opportunities while pursuing undergraduate postgraduate studies.
- The rise of the pound sterling against the Jordanian dinar makes it cheaper to study in the USA, Canada and Australia.
- There is a high demand for other international programs (i.e. school qualification, IB).
- There is preference for taught PhD degrees.
In Jordan, there is one British Council office based in the capital, Amman. Our customer service programmes focus on teaching English, examinations, education information and counseling services and knowledge and learning. We also work on a number of projects in the arts, governance, English and education sectors that seek to build relations between Jordan and the United Kingdom.
We are privileged to have good contacts with our agents, universities and Ministry of Education (MoE). We are currently supporting the Ministry of Education with two regional educational projects that are in-line with the educational reform process: ICT in Education and Innovative Approaches to Learning. Moreover, there is an increased demand for our Teaching Centre services to build the capacity of MoE English language teachers.
We collaborate closely with the only professional educational agent that deals with UK universities in Jordan and provides placement services to Jordanian students.
Through our work in the education sector, we aim to raise awareness of how education from the UK can help to change lives and position the UK as a leader in international education.
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