Do all children in Jordan go to school?
In Jordan, children are required to attend school for ten years. You go to school between the ages of six and 16. First they attend elementary school for six years, which corresponds to our elementary school. Then they go to a kind of middle school for four years. Afterwards, they can decide whether they want to attend school for another two years and finish with the Abitur or if they prefer to start vocational training.
State or private?
The state schools in Jordan do not cost anything. However, parents who can afford it often prefer to send their children to private schools because they think the lessons are better there.
Jordan does a lot for the education and training of its children. However, there are still some shortcomings. There are too many children in many classes, so that good teaching is difficult. The teachers are often poorly trained and modern educational methods or learning methods: none. There is also a lack of preschools or kindergartens.
And after school?
Those who have passed their Abitur can attend university. These are then state or private and cost money, the state a little less than the private. Anyone with a good school leaving certificate can study natural sciences such as medicine or computer science. If you have a poorer degree, you have to choose subjects like literature or law. These are not considered to be as important as the technical subjects.
Although many girls and women have a good education, only a small proportion of Jordanian women end up working in a profession. Most women take care of their children and quit working life, especially after the wedding. Here we come full circle, because there is hardly any childcare before school.
Child labor
The school system in Jordan is not bad, because education is valued here. Nevertheless, there are poor families with poor children who do not attend school at all or only for a short time. These children support their families by working. Especially in rural areas there are families for whom it is more important – but sometimes simply vital – that their children work.
The working conditions for the children are tough. They often work in construction or in industry. Many children are forced to work, and at the same time the number of begging children or children who work on the street is increasing. Then there are the many refugee children, some of whom have also lost their parents.
Girls and women
What is the situation like for girls and women in Jordan?
Many girls and women in Jordan are given the opportunity to attend school and to educate themselves so that they can later work. Almost everyone, boys and girls, can read and write. The proportion of female high school graduates and female students is higher than that of men. Half of the students studying medicine are women. There are many female doctors in Jordan. This is one side.
In Jordan, a country located in Middle East according to globalsciencellc, unlike some other Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, the sexes are not separated by law. There is also no compulsion for women to wear a veil. But many people still think very traditionally and stick to old conventionsfirmly. For example, the joy of the birth of a boy is greater than that of a girl. Because traditionally only the boy can pass on the name of the family.
Protection of honor
Protecting the honor of women is very important to Jordanians. So it is completely unusual to have a boyfriend before marriage. Incidentally, this does not only apply to Jordanian women of the Muslim faith, but also to the Christian women in the country.
Legally, the Jordanians are officially equal, but in everyday life it often looks very different. A father can marry off a daughter without her consent. Married women must also recognize concubines. If you want to get a divorce, it is quite difficult. They are not allowed to pursue a profession without the permission of their husband. They only inherit half of what the men inherit.
Many women do an apprenticeship, but as soon as there are children, they are responsible for the children, the husband and the house. This is the traditional understanding of the roles of women and men, which is often little questioned by either side. The woman represents the honor of the family. If this honor is questioned, women are exposed to great dangers and have little protection.
The situation of women can definitely improve
There are organizations in Jordan that work to improve living conditions. A sister of the last King, Hussein I, is also said to be committed to the women of the country. However, everyday life and, above all, the legal situation of many girls and women still look much worse than that of men. All of the advanced approaches in Jordan will take time to develop. Above all, the Jordanians themselves must take action.
