US announces 100 mn plan to build 25 new schools in Jordan
Date
11/9/2015 8:38:52 AM
(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
Amman 9th November 2015 (WAM) -- The United States highlighted its continued commitment to Jordan with the announcement of a plan to build 25 new schools in Jordan using $100 million as part of the Administration's Let Girls Learn initiative.
A statement by the embassy said that in March 2015 the US President and First Lady launched Let Girls Learn a government initiative bringing together the Department of State the US Agency for International Development the Peace Corps and the Millennium Challenge Corporation to address a range of challenges preventing adolescent girls from attending completing school and realizing their potential as adults state news agency Petra reported.
Building on existing US government investments and expertise Let Girls Learn invests in new programs and elevates existing programs leverages public-private partnerships and challenges organizations governments and private sector partners to commit to improving the lives of adolescent girls worldwide.
The statement added that the US announced a continuation of these efforts through the planned construction of 25 new public schools - 70 percent of which will be girls' schools - in Jordan with $100 million of US assistance under the auspices of United States Agency for International Development (USAID)'s ongoing school construction and improvement efforts.
Many students in Jordan are currently learning in overcrowded classrooms and schools and efforts to accommodate Syrian refugees has made the situation more acute. Many of these new schools will be constructed in urban areas with overcrowded schools helping to alleviate pressures on Jordan's education system the statement added.
The new schools will accommodate 25000 children each year and provide students with the opportunity to learn in new modern buildings equipped with technology that facilitates learning adding that since 2006 USAID's Jordan School Construction and Rehabilitation Project has put $199 million toward the construction of 28 new schools and the renovation or expansion of an additional 97 schools.
The embassy said that these efforts have improved the learning environment for more than 100000 students attending the 125 new or rehabilitated schools.Today's announcement is part of major planned USAID programming in Jordan's educational sector over the next five years which builds on a strong partnership between the two countries the statement added.
The plan aims to improve the quality of education and provide schooling experiences that help to ensure that Jordanian youth (young men and women alike) can pursue their broader aspirations.
WAM/tfaham