Putting Technology to Work for Jordan’s New Knowledge Economy
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| Smart Board technology encourages interactive learning in a mathematics class at a girl’s school in Amman, Jordan. [Photo: Gordon Cressman] |
In an effort to transform its education system, Jordan’s government initiated the Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy (ERfKE) program in 2003. Complementing the goals of ERfKE, the Jordan Education Initiative (JEI), a public-private partnership with leading information technology and communications firms, has been working with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to establish models for e-learning and use of information technology (IT) in Jordan.
As part of a larger assessment of the JEI, led by the Education Development Center with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, RTI is studying hardware, software, connectivity, and technical support systems for delivering e-learning to 100 “Discovery Schools” in Amman, and assessing the technical adequacy and appropriate uses of IT systems. RTI will also review issues of procurement, management, and maintenance; examine costs; recommend options for scaling up approaches; and suggest priority areas for further IT initiatives.
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| Students at a Discovery School in Amman, Jordan, use the EduWave education portal for e-learning applications and other classroom exercises. [Photo: Gordon Cressman] |
Both the Discovery Schools and other MOE schools under ERfKE programs are supported by a Jordanian-developed education portal (EduWave), and the National Broadband Network, which now provides fiber-optic connections for the Discovery Schools and soon will cover all 2,300 government schools in Jordan. The e-learning materials and pedagogic support developed under the JEI are being “blended” with the ERfKE capacities and curriculum reforms being prepared for all schools throughout the Kingdom.
Drawing on best practices identified through the partnerships, and building on the ERfKE reforms, the JEI is supporting one of the most ambitious efforts anywhere to develop e-learning approaches on a national basis. RTI senior education policy analyst Frank Method forecasts that “Jordan’s experience with ERfKE reforms, development of e-learning systems, and public-private partnerships for education will be watched carefully by other countries in the region, and beyond.”
More information:
Frank Method, fmethod@rti.org