54 new kindergarten classrooms open in Zaatari, Azraq refugee camps

AMMAN — UNICEF has recently opened 54 new kindergarten classrooms in Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps, according to a statement from UNICEF.

The classrooms are part of the organisation’s support for Jordan to achieve universal KG-2 education in the country by 2025, and will allow the Ministry of Education to hire 65 new teachers and principals, the statement said. 

The classrooms will serve nearly 4,000 children in both camps, and in Azraq, they will fill the gap to providing universal KG-2 access. In Zaatari, where the first generation of children born in the camp started kindergarten in September, UNICEF and the Ministry of Education are working towards closing the remaining gap by opening additional classrooms to meet demand — and provide a space for every child before the start of the new academic year, the statement added.

“Quality and inclusive preschool gives every child the best start to their education — preparing them for future learning, reducing drop-outs and improving their overall learning and development,” UNICEF Jordan Representative Robert Jenkins said.

In mid-2017, Jordan declared it would universalise KG-2 by 2025 to increase access and the quality of KG-2, the statement said, adding that in addition to the increase of preschool classrooms inside refugee camps, UNICEF is also supporting the opening of new KG-2 classrooms in community-based centres across Jordan, including in Tafileh, Zarqa, Marj Al Hamam, Baqaa and Jerash.