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In Jordan, home schooling could be just what the education system needed

06.04.2021 13:12 183 review
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Alarm clock, breakfast, school — in Reema Bast's family, mornings haven't changed much, even though she doesn't have to rush her three children out of the house any more. She only needs to usher them into their rooms in time for the first class. "The two older children Aoun and Saba have classes from 8am until 3pm, the youngest Jad until 12pm," Bast, who lives in Amman, told DW on the phone.

"We expect the children to be home for at least another six months," said the stay-at-home-mum. For her it feels like her children are at school, even if the house is noisier than usual. "Everyone is busy with their classes and the house is full of voices of teachers and students," she said. 

Apart from a three-week stint in February 2021, schoolchildren and students in Jordan have been studying from home for a year. The brief re-opening of schools is believed to be the cause of the recent spike in Covid-19 infections which resulted in the current lockdown, including a strict daily curfew from 6pm to 6am and all day on Fridays.

According to a joint statement issued by the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Health last week, the Hashemite Kingdom has seen 504,915 cases of COVID-19 infections and a death toll of 5,553.

Digital transition and e-learning 

When the pandemic hit a year ago, the Jordanian Ministry of Education started facilitating distance learning tools in collaboration with the World Bank, ministries, and private enterprises. The partnership resulted in the now widely used distance-learning portal 'Darsak' which offers lessons in line with the Jordanian curriculum of Arabic, English, Math and Science for grades 1 through 12.

Furthermore, two TV channels offer on-air lectures and the country's TV-sports channel has been repurposed as a broadcaster for students preparing for 'Tawjihi', the secondary school leaving examination. A platform for teacher training and courses for distance learning tools complement the government's coronavirus strategy.

"While there is limited clarity on the effect remote learning will have on educational performance, the pandemic provides an opportunity to bridge the digital gap," the World Bank wrote in a statement. 

Benjamin Schmäling, head of the German Academic Exchange Service in Amman, says that the transition hasn't been an easy process for professors and teachers. "For many, digital teaching has been a novelty," he told DW on the phone. Universities, such as the German Jordanian University in Amman, have adapted to the new situation by introducing 'digital twins' of their 30 courses. Additionally, smart classrooms that will enable teachings with students present and online are in preparation.

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