Educational System and QIZ

On the 18th, we had a presentation by Zohre Allawzi and Hayat Al-Bow on the educational system in Jordan. Jordanian education is dominated by the Jordanian Secondary School Certificate Examination (Tawjihi). The Tawjihi is extremely stress producing because it determines what colleges you may attend and what majors you may take. Engineering is considered the highest level, so many students who score highest are tracked into engineering whether they are interested or not. There is tremendous family and social pressure to do well on the Tawjihi. The exam has been criticized because of the pressure it produces, and its emphasis on memorization. Critical thinking is not part of the equation.
The education is extremely centralized. There is an effort by the Jordaian Education Initiative to improve the system. Colleges have only existed in Jordan since the 1960s. They have relied over the years to sending their students overseas. King Hussein and King Abdullah were both educated in England.

We visited a textile factory that was participating in a Qualified Industrial Zone (QIZ). It made suits and clothing for many global corporations, such as, Lands End, Hagar, etc. The factory that we visited was El Zay. www.elzay.com