Queen Rania Inaugurates Teachers Academy

In Amman Sunday, Queen Rania opened the Teachers Academy, which aims to train Jordanian educators the methods taught by Columbia University in New York.

In her speech, the Queen explained the need for students to be taught according to international standards.

“Today, as boundaries blur and travel increases, a son of Jordan not only competes for a job with his fellow Jordanians, but with highly qualified people in the global marketplace. This should encourage us to pursue excellence, because Jordan always strives to provide the best opportunities for her people.

“Through this academy, we aim to seek and form exceptional teachers and make them the best they can be, so that they can return the profession to its halcyon days, where teachers are, once more, the most respected and prestigious members of society.”

Queen Rania also hoped that the Academy would bring back the days where teaching was a highly valued and respected position in society.

“Years ago in the Arab world, the job of being a teacher went beyond merely passing information to students; rather, a teacher was his students’ guide, inspiration and counsellor,” said the Queen.

She also added, “We are proud of the quality of education in our country as it is the best among Arab states, even though our expenditure on education is not the highest in the region.”

After the Queen’s speech, four teachers took turns telling about their xperiences, challenges and benefits they received from training courses.

There was also an agreement signing between the Queen Rania Teachers Academy and Columbia’s Teacher’s College.