On Tuesday, December 13, 2016, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan presided over the 2016 Queen Rania Awards for Excellence in Education in Amman, Jordan.

Per a press release:

“In the award ceremony, held at Al Hussein Youth City’s Palace of Culture, Her Majesty awarded prizes and certificates to winners of the 11th Teacher Award, and the 2nd cycle of the School Counselor Award.

In a speech she delivered, the Queen underscored the critical role of teachers in the development of education across the Kingdom, explaining that ‘development requires substituting methods of the past with those compatible with the needs of the future.’

Queen Rania underlined that progress in education involves training teachers before and during their employment, and called on teachers to lead what she described as an ‘educational renaissance’ from within their classrooms, and to invite their communities to be a part of this renaissance.

The Queen delivered her speech less than two months after she launched the Queen Rania Teacher’s Academy’s pre-service professional training program.

In her remarks, she said that a ‘teacher’s light’ has the power to break through the stockpile of challenges, including financial, social and logistical, explaining that those with us today have been able to devise solutions out of sheer need and despite great challenges.”

‘They have proved that there is still room in those packed classrooms for innovative solutions and creative ideas,’ she added.

Queen Rania stressed that despite the pressing need for an upgrade in Jordan’s educational system, ‘we maintain our principles and identity, while advancing the sciences and our knowledge.’ In this scope, the Queen explained that textbooks should become a partner and a reference for teachers rather than a hindrance limited by rigid style and wording.

Her Majesty said she is baffled by those who do not wish to advance and develop Jordan’s education, adding that her appreciation grows “for each exceptional teacher and for anyone who stands by teachers and support them.

Describing teachers as the ‘heroes of this country,’ the Queen said: ‘nothing can match the greatness and nobleness of your work, no measure of gratitude gives justice to your patience and dedication, and no joy is equal to the joy I feel when I see the smiles before me today, which will continue to fuel my drive to keep championing on behalf of teachers.’

As QRAEE’s Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Queen Rania awarded 23 teachers and 5 counselors at the ceremony, which was attended by more than 2000 people. The winners went through a competitive process and were selected from a pool of 1,609 teachers and 147 guidance counselors.

Winning teachers and counselors received monetary awards of JD 3,000 for first place, JD 2,000 for second place, and JD 1,000 for third place.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Minister of Education Dr. Mohammad Thneibat, who said that the time has never been riper for welcoming change, overcoming setbacks, and turning challenges into opportunities.

Thneibat said that the ministry is working with the Association of QRAEE to capitalize on the strengths of previous awardees, and identify areas that need improvement in Jordan’s education system, in order to create a competitive culture of excellence in all of the ministry’s directorates.

He added: ‘we are aware that there is no road to success that is clear of obstacles, and there are no obstacles if there is determination and willpower to implement a vision.’

The event also featured opening remarks by the Director of QRAEE, Ms. Lubna Touqan, shorts films and a performance by Jordanian musician Hussein Al Salman.

Launched in 2005 by Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania in partnership with the Ministry of Education, QRAEE aims to set a national standard of excellence in teaching, and to celebrate, encourage, and honor those who reach it.”

On Wednesday, December 7, 2016, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan attended the Women on the Front Lines conference in Amman, Jordan.

According to a press release during today’s conference Her Majesty attended the panel discussion, Asking the Hard Questions, which focused on:

“…women’s influential role in the media, and addressed the challenges they face while conducting interviews, especially when tackling a tough line of questioning with male interviewees.

Participants in the conference included a number of prominent women from the fields of politics, media, and economics. Other prominent speakers included the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag, Egyptian International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr, CNN presenter Becky Anderson, President of the Jordanian Business and Professional Women Association Senator Haifa Najjar, and Iranian-American astronaut Anousheh Ansari.

Women on The Front Lines is an annual conference organized by the May Chidiac Foundation bringing together some of the world’s most influential women, who have inspired leadership, change, and sustainability in their fields.

The Foundation, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to training, research and education on media, democracy, and social welfare, was established in 2009 by Lebanese broadcast journalist Dr. May Chidiac, who survived an assassination attempt in Lebanon in 2005.

The foundation also runs an affiliated non-profit media institute that aims to foster the values of freedom of expression, human rights and democracy in media production industries by providing young professionals with state-of-the-art technical facilities and training programs.”

According to Petra News on Tuesday, December 6, 2016, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan attended a:

“…on the deteriorating performance of Jordanian students in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), during a visit to the Mahes Secondary School for Girls in Al Balqa.  

She also dropped by mathematics and science lessons taught by student-teachers enrolled in the Pre-service Professional Diploma Program implemented by the Queen Rania Teachers Academy (QRTA), who are currently fulfilling their practicum module at the same school.

During the workshop, attended by 50 educators and moderated by QRTA’s Dr. Ahmad Qublan, Queen Rania said that the latest TIMMS assessment results are an indication that school curricula and teaching techniques are lacking, and warned that generations should not have to pay the price until a satisfying development of Jordan’s education system is achieved.

Her Majesty said that change doesn’t happen overnight and urged teachers to propose ways to develop the education process in order help students apply what they learn to real life situations.

The Queen said that the TIMSS results were shocking because they revealed that most students are neither fully grasping what they are taught nor are they capable of employing their knowledge, especially in mathematics, which should rely on understanding and reasoning, rather than memorization.

She also explained that there are inexpensive and innovative ways to improve students’ performance through technology software that helps teachers better communicate information to students.

The Queen also noted that efforts are underway to establish a teaching college in cooperation with Jordan University that would be able to train a much a larger number of teachers before they start their teaching careers.

In response to comments by teachers who said that students do not take international exams seriously because they don’t factor into their school grades, Her Majesty said that ‘teachers and schools have to build the right environment that creates incentive in students to excel in any exam.  Students should have the personal motivation to prove to themselves that they can do well in any exam, even if there is no direct return,’ Her Majesty added.

The performance of Jordanian students in last year’s TIMSS assessment has dropped drastically, placing Jordan 23 points below its rank in eighth grade Science. This constituted the largest drop by any of the 39 participating countries. Jordan’s score in eighth grade mathematics was also low, ranking 8th among nine participating Arab countries.

Teachers participating in the workshop expressed their frustration with the current science and mathematics curricula, on the grounds that they do not focus on the student’s understanding of the subjects and instead reinforce memorization rather than analysis. They also said they feel they lack effective teaching techniques that enrich students’ understanding based on reasoning, interpretation, and a logical thought process.

Some attributed the low TIMSS scores to lack of knowledge on the part of both teachers and students about the importance of this international assessment.

Several teachers told Her Majesty that they would like to see schools institute more extra-curricular activities that help students with problem-solving. Many, who have received training from QRTA, also called for establishing more education networks that can enhance their teaching techniques.

School Principal Mrs. Razan Zou’bi and Director of the QRTA Pre-service Professional Diploma Program Mrs. Suhair Alkhatib accompanied Her Majesty while she attended part of the classes taught by student-teachers enrolled in the diploma program.

QRTA’s diploma, a first in the kingdom, was launched in October 2016 under Queen Rania’s patronage, with the aim of preparing future educators to transform their classrooms into environments that encourage innovation, leadership, and intellectual curiosity.

The program’s first cohort of educators includes 185 teachers, who went through a highly competitive selection process.

The practicum segment, or ‘School Experience’ module, aims to improve the teachers’ professional standards and facilitate their entry into the profession.

QRTA aims to graduate between 5000 and 7000 students in the upcoming five years. Upon completion of the nine-month 24 credit hour diploma, student teachers will commit to a teaching job with the Ministry of Education for four years, and receive a monthly salary during the training period in accordance to its regulations.

The Mahes Secondary School for Girls, which was established in 1951 currently enrolls 783 students. The school welcomes the local community to use its facilities and services by providing a venue for workshops, holiday celebrations, religious activities, and The Mahes Annual Festival.”