National Survey of Professional Wellbeing of Teachers in Jordan launches under patronage of Ministry of Education

The National Survey of the Professional Wellbeing of Teachers in Jordan was launched today under the patronage of the Jordanian Ministry of Education, with attendance from the Director of Educational Research and Planning at the Ministry of Education, Dr Youssef Abu Al-Shaar. The survey is part of the Ejada programme, a collaboration between Save the Children Jordan and the Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with support from Community Jameel, Dubai Cares, Hikma, and Alwaleed Philanthropies. Ejada supports the social and emotional needs of teachers and pupils in Jordan to reduce violence in classrooms and improve learning outcomes by transforming the role of teachers as agents of change.

The survey results were launched at a ceremony in the Amman Hall at the Al-Hussein Youth City and included a presentation of prominent findings from the survey by the research team which consisted of Dr Ahmed Al-Sharifin, Dr Moatasem Al-Akour and Dr Suad Ghaith. The launch also saw a panel discussion moderated by the director of the directorate of educational research and development at the Ministry of Education, Dr Yasser Al-Omari, to explore opportunities to build on the survey’s results and recommendations to support the professional wellbeing of teachers. Other participants in the panel included directors from several directorates within the Ministry of Education as well as one of the teachers who participated in the survey.

Dr Youssef Abu Al-Shaar, director of educational research and planning at the Ministry of Education, said: Jordan has undertaken great efforts to prioritise the development of its educational system to meet the needs and ever-changing requirements of its people, and to contribute to national sustainable development. The ministry is keen to develop its educational system and improve its quality, under its economic modernization and the education reform programmes, in order to bring about a quantum leap in Jordan’s development. The Ministry of Education continues to emphasise the professional qualification and preparation of teachers, and has spared no effort in implementing projects aimed at their professional development.”

Diala Al-Khamra, executive director of Save the Children Jordan, said: “The launch of the survey today comes as part of the outcomes of the Ejada programme implemented by Save the Children Jordan, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, which aims to improve the quality of education and promote the psychological and social development of children in schools, by supporting the professional well-being of teachers, as well as empowering them and providing them with modern educational practices.”

Uzma Sulaiman, associate director of Community Jameel, said: “Ejada is aimed at improving children’s social and emotional well-being and learning outcomes, by transforming the role of teachers as agents of change in the classroom and to create a sustainable model here in Jordan that is applicable and transferable to all educational systems. The ethos of Ejada exemplifies the values of Community Jameel. As an international organisation that advances science and learning for communities to thrive, Ejada’s objective is to ultimately strengthen learning outcomes for children by using rigorous scientific methods, working through the community, highlighting local science and bringing together local and global expertise.”

Abeer Farah, youth programmes officer at Dubai Cares, said: “Teachers' support and readiness contribute to bridging achievement gaps by providing high-quality education and maximizing learning benefits each semester. Good teachers are the backbone of any educational system and lay the foundation for children to achieve their full potential and become productive members of society.”

Ejada was launched as a pilot in 2019 to develop an evidence-backed teacher professionals development programme that incorporates social and emotional learning, to benefit not only learners in Jordan but also education systems suffering severe disruption worldwide, with the ultimate goal of reducing inequality.

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