November 9, Amman - H.E. Minister of Public Works and Housing Ahmad Maher Abul Samen signed three agreements for the construction of four secondary mixed schools in Jordan that will be funded by the European Union (EU). H.E. Abul Samen also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for one of the schools, Al Nahda Secondary Mixed School in Irbid. The school will offer new seats for 1,210 students, replacing four rented schools and reducing the overcrowding in other schools.

The EU is aware of the challenges Jordan’s education system is facing with regard to overcrowded classrooms, double shifts and the lack of dedicated buildings. The EU Ambassador to Jordan, H.E. Maria Hadjitheodosiou stated that “the EU is and remains a reliable partner of Jordan, and stands ready to support Jordan’s efforts to address the challenges faced in providing quality education for all children living in the country. Education is one of the key priority sectors of EU’s cooperation with Jordan. This particular project aims to support the efforts of the Ministry of Education to address the needs of the refugee and host communities and ensure a quality education environment for all the students.”

To respond to the lack of classrooms, a total of 10 new schools will be constructed with the support of the EU together with the German development Bank (KfW), which will be implementing the works. The EU's Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis, the 'Madad' Fund, has made available EUR 39.5 million for this purpose.

The objective of the school construction program is to assist the Government of Jordan in responding to the needs of children and youth impacted by the Syrian crisis. It will allow for increased access to inclusive and child-friendly quality primary and secondary education for both refugee and host community children, and aims to accommodate more than 8000 students, mainly in Amman and the northern governorates. The school construction will be overseen by the Ministries of Public Works and Housing and Education.

This Program is complemented by the School Construction Programs funded by the German Government through KfW with a total support of EUR 160 million.