The Jordan Education Initiative (JEI)

February 11, 2008

The PISA Report
The Program for International Students Assessment (PISA) is a triennial survey of knowledge and skills of 15 year-olds. It is the most comprehensive and rigorous international program to assess students performance. The PISA survey have taken place so far in 2000, 2003 and 2006, focusing on reading, mathematics, and science respectively. This sequence will be repeated with surveys in 2009, 2012, and 2015.

In 2006, more than 400000 students from 57 countries participated in this survey and for the first time, 6509 students from 210 schools in Jordan participated in the survey. Out of these schools, there were sixty-two Discovery schools.

The JEI team is happy to inform you that the results over the past 3-4 years has culminated in the Discovery Schools performing significantly better than non Discovery Schools, and in some cases performed well in comparison with the international and the OECD averages.

JEI Introduction and Background
Business leaders from the IT and telecommunications sectors at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2003 presented the WEF with a mandate to launch an action-oriented initiative to leapfrog education reform in a selected pilot developing country using a new framework for public-private collaboration and partnership. Jordan, with a committed, clear and aggressive strategy for education reform, was selected as the pilot country for the learning initiative. The Jordan Education Initiative (JEI) was formally launched in June 2003.

The JEI works in a global-local, public-private partnership that aims to improve education in Jordan through effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and create a model of education reform for other countries.

100 Discovery Schools were selected as a pilot and were provided with the basic ICT infrastructure and teachers with needed professional development.

Summary of Work
The Jordan Education Initiative (JEI) dedicated its efforts to accomplish by spreading innovation sparks over the 100 Discovery Schools as a test bed to assure an effective deployment of the ICT solutions at the Ministry of Education’s Schools through the Discovery School Track.

The Discovery School Track lies under the larger theme of “enabling the act of discovering” for students and teachers alike. Its aim is to introduce new approaches to learning that are conducive to acquiring the skills necessary for the 21st century knowledge economy. This track focuses on three distinct areas of activity: In-Classroom Technology, e-Curricula Development and Teacher Training. The outcome of these sub-tracks is focused on the use of new learning methodologies using the ICT tools.

Through collaboration and partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE), global partners, local partners and donors, the 100 Discovery Schools were equipped with the basic infrastructure such as computer labs, networks including LAN, WAN and Wireless Internet Connection to allow teachers to freely move between classes and access the educational platform. Teachers were given laptops and projectors to practice the new learning strategies which rely on the blended learning approach where the ICT tools could play a significant role in facilitating the interaction between teachers and students through the utilization of the e-content.

Since its inception in 2003, the JEI established partnerships between many Global and Local Organizations to build the capacity of local ICT companies by developing a web-based content that serves the blended learning approach. The direct beneficiary of this partnership is the Ministry of Education where 6 e-curricula (Math, Science, Arabic, ICT, English as a Foreign Language and Citizenship project) were developed and deployed, in different phases, at the Discovery Schools, thus impacting 80,000 students and 3,500 teachers. Upon completion of piloting in the Discovery schools these e-curricula will be nationally rolled out to all 3300 schools in the kingdom, impacting 1,459,208 of students and 54,609 teachers. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, e-curricula are revised and amended according to the official pedagogical standards adopted by the MoE.

One of the main pillars of the JEI model is unleashing the innovation of students and teachers through the effective use of ICT leading to enhancing student’s critical thinking and creating the future researchers and pioneers of tomorrow. Therefore, the JEI built on the ministry’s effort of providing teachers with the basic knowledge of using the ICT tools (International Computer Driving License “ICDL”), and developed , in cooperation with the private sector, Subject Specific Trainings which are provided to teachers in order to empower them with core concepts of Blended Learning, Knowledge Economy and the use of e-content.

The JEI has, also, facilitated for approximately 3000 teachers to receive various IT related training programs such as Intel Teach to the Future, CADER and World Links.

In addition, many Leadership and Change Management workshops were conducted for school principals to enlighten them on the benefits of ICT as a tool in their schools and how it can support their day-to-day operations.