UNESCO, Education Ministry, and GIZ launch “Towards Greater Inclusion and Diversity in Education in Jordan” project

Under the leadership of the Ministry of Education (MoE) and in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), UNESCO launched the project “Towards Greater Inclusion and Diversity in Education in Jordan”. The initiative will closely coordinate and collaborate with the Higher Council on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in ensuring improved access to and inclusive quality education for all.

This project seeks to provide technical assistance and specialized expertise to the Ministry of Education in their efforts towards inclusion, in line with the goals and priorities outlined in the National 10-Years Strategy for Inclusive Education 2020-2030 and the Education Strategic Plan 2018-2022.

In 2019, GIZ developed jointly with the MoE a 3-year programme ‘Promoting quality in inclusive education in Jordan-PROMISE’, funded through the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). ‘PROMISE’ aims at improving equal access to and quality of primary and secondary public schools in Jordan. The programme focuses on schoolchildren from KG2 to Grade 10 with particular focus on children living with disabilities. In this framework, UNESCO will support two main components of the PROMISE programme related to system strengthening and capacity development.

Ms. Costanza Farina, UNESCO Representative to Jordan “With the world having just celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, and with the upcoming 60th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education, UNESCO is excited to engage in this new partnership and contribute to inclusive and quality education for all”

This new partnership will assist the MoE in improving access to and quality in education for all children and youth regardless of their gender, abilities, disabilities, backgrounds and circumstances. The first activity of this partnership, which was initiated this week, is an Institutional Capacity Needs Assessment on Inclusive Education in Jordan. This participatory process will be used to collect data and information on how the competencies of institutions can be strengthened to provide better services. The findings will inform the formulation of a capacity development strategy, as well as, to raise awareness on the rights of all children to quality education in more inclusive and diverse educational settings in Jordan.

Ms. Stephanie Petrasch, GIZ Head of Education in Jordan stated ‘The collaboration between UNESCO and GIZ will enhance the support to our partners on the topic of inclusive education. A lot of promises have been made, the foundations are there but still not all children have access to quality education. But together we will create capacities in the Jordan education system to provide the necessary skills and knowledge for inclusive schools.’  This project will contribute to advancing the Education 2030 Framework for Action, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), specifically SDG 4 on ‘ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning for all’; SDG 5 on gender equality; SDG 10 on reducing inequalities within countries; and SDG 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions. This latter SDG also focuses on reducing discrimination against persons with disabilities, and ensuring that decision-making processes on all levels are responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative of all, including persons with disabilities and their organizations.