AMMAN - The private sector plays a fundamental role in supporting and implementing the Madrasati initiative, Madrasati Director Dana Dajani said Tuesday.
"Everyone has a role to play in supporting the initiative. Private sector entities have the capability to support us and their role is key in this regard," she said at a meeting yesterday.
Stressing that supporting education in the Kingdom is a shared responsibility, Dajani said private sector entities can help not only by providing financial support but also through volunteer work with the initiative, which seeks to renovate public schools and enhance the education environment for schoolchildren.
"The private sector, which we consider a partner, has a significant role in supporting education in the country's public schools," she said at a meeting yesterday in which an agreement was signed between the University of Jordan (UJ) and Umniah to offer UJ students cards giving them discounts at more than 90 commercial outlets.
Ten per cent of the revenues from the cards will go towards supporting Madrasati.
Dajani, who highlighted the importance of encouraging volunteerism, said the younger generation has a big role to play in serving their communities.
Under the Madrasati initiative, launched by Her Majesty Queen Rania in 2008, around 400 schools have been fully renovated in Amman, Zarqa, Balqa, Jerash, Ajloun, Madaba, Maan, Tafileh, Aqaba and Karak, she said at the meeting.
In 2012, the initiative will be launched in Irbid and cover 100 public schools in the governorate, Dajani added, highlighting that Madrasati has made a difference in the public schools covered so far.
The initiative has changed the face of education since 2008 by making schools more appealing for students and more engaging for teachers, introducing hands-on methods, and connecting school curricula to everyday life.
Programmes implemented in Madrasati schools are run by its partners: the Jordan Education Initiative, the Queen Rania Teachers' Academy, the Royal Health Awareness Society, the Jordan River Foundation Safe Schools programme, UNICEF, and the Global Education for Sports' Sports for Development programme.
© Jordan Times 2011
