Jordan Country Report on Out-of-School Children

Highlights

• This report is a joint product of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and UNICEF in Jordan, drawing on the framework of the Global Out-of-School Children Initiative. The research reveals notable sector achievements and challenges associated with vulnerable children who are out of school and at risk of dropping out countrywide.

• The analysis shows that the national out-of-school rate for primary-school aged children (6-11 years) has not increased since 2014. This is a remarkable achievement by the MOE and its sector partners, given that Jordan has welcomed over 660,000 Syrian refugees since 2011.However, it also shows that disparities by gender, geography and nationality remain persistent in access to basic education. A total of 112,016 children in Jordan are not attending Grades 1 to 10. More than 50,640 Syrians, 39,830 Jordanians and 21,530 children of other nationalities are estimated to be out of school. Nationally, out-of-school rates are higher for boys than for girls, with the exception of Jordanians in the 6-11 age group, where girls have a higher out-of-school rate than boys.

• The report offers a range of analytics and insights, such as enrolment trends, profiles of out-of-school children, econometric analysis, barriers to schooling, and contextualised policy recommendations. These findings, underpinned by quantitative data, are envisaged to stimulate education policy dialogue amongst stakeholders and strengthen evidence-informed and equity-focused education planning and programming. We hope that the report helps government and partners to better target and support the most vulnerable children for inclusive and equitable quality education.