Jordanian King issues 7th Discussion Paper

Jordanian King Abdullah II issued, on Saturday, his seventh discussion paper, focusing on the development of human resources and education in Jordan, its challenges, and it’s imperative role in the progress of the nation.
King Abdullah underscored in His paper that every Jordanian deserves the chance to learn, innovate, succeed, shine, and attain the highest levels of achievement.

In order to enable the progress of education and human development, His Majesty stressed, that the challenges facing the education sector in Jordan must be decisively addressed.

Education institutions must not tolerate this disregard of our generations’ future, nor should they be discouraged by fear, His Majesty reaffirmed, but instead, to have faith in Jordan’s youth; in the energy, talent, and incredible capacities our students have in store. Jordan aspires to lead the region by example, King Abdullah underscored.

On that, His Majesty reiterated, that the challenges of today’s modern world can only be overcome by developing modern instruments and tools of knowledge, inspired by the spirit of modernity itself and the breakthroughs in education and science.

"Education has lately been the subject of heated global debate. It has been heartening to see this trend pick up in our part of the world, Jordan in particular," he said. "I believe this discussion bodes well, since it signifies a widespread awareness of the importance of this issue, and rightly so, since education is key to nation-building and improving our world, at a time of a global race to realize knowledge economies and invest in human resources, he added.

"We cannot keep up with the rapid developments of this era without utilising its novel knowledge tools and latest technologies," the king stated. "Within that context, we must comprehensively address the urgent challenges facing our education sector to overcome them effectively and arrive at a modern education system pivotal to building the future we seek," he added, pointing out that the implementation of the recommendations of the National Committee for Human Resources Development is an integral part of the process.

Regarding the path to a prosperous future, the king stressed that educational institutions must believe in the immense energies, promising capabilities, and diverse talents of our youth. "They should seek to cultivate and channel these qualities, driving young men and women to unleash their potential," he added.

"We cannot allow fear of change nor reluctance to embrace modernization and scientific advancement to waste the vast potential of our tremendous human resources, the king indicated, the Jordanian king said.

"We will not tolerate miring this strategic sector and the future of Jordanians in petty politicking and narrow interests; this is an alarming path, for education must rise above all such issues if we are to continue with our reform and development endeavors to create a better present and future," his majesty added.

"Jordanians are known as champions of modernization and progress in our Arab world, who lean forward and take ownership and initiative, he added. "We are innovators, pioneers and change makers, proud of our rich Arabic and Islamic heritage, which rejects discord and division," he indicated.

"We aspire towards a strong Jordan that arms its children with the finest education to empower them to take on the challenges ahead, launching successful businesses, practising impactful crafts, starting loving families, and building a cohesive society.

We seek a Jordan that takes its rightful place among the countries leading educational transformation. Our gate to the future lies in building capacities through quality education and excellent graduates," the king said.

"Education is an effective tool to transcend differences and build common ground to spread tolerance and understanding, and shun bigotry and extremism. There can be no comprehensive reform without an educational transformation," he added.

"We want Jordan to lead the way in modernizing education in the Arab world, encouraging others to follow in its footsteps towards a knowledge-based society. Reforming education is a challenge before us all, and expertise exchange among Arab countries will help us take on this challenge," he added.

King Abdullah said that Jordanian schools, vocational training centres, and universities should graduate great thinkers, talented craftspeople, and productive individuals.