Budget hike, reforms on the cards for universities

AMMAN — The government is planning to increase the budget for universities by JD18 million next year, bringing the total designated amount up from JD72 million in 2019 to JD90 million, according to Minister of Higher Education Muhyiddine Touq.

During a meeting with representatives from various local media outlets last week at the ministry, Touq announced several measures taken to improve the higher education system in the Kingdom, noting that the financial support will depend on adherence to international standards and improvement in various international indices. 

While considering these indices, the ministry will conduct a study to determine the distribution of government support to universities, better control spending, move towards development and create a balance between management staff and academics. 

Public and private universities in the Kingdom require support to lift them out of the current difficult financial conditions, so that they can achieve their goals, the minister said, noting that the Higher Education Council's (HEC) role is to form policies and strategies that cover the general framework of higher education in the Kingdom.

The ministry intends to reform the committee that recognises non-Jordanian higher education institutes and the committee for non-Jordanian certificate equivalency in accordance with the amended by-law on recognising non-Jordanian higher education institutes and providing  certificate equivalency.

In light of these changes, Touq announced that there will be “intense meetings” in the upcoming days with public and private university presidents and chairmen of boards of trustees, which will aim at determining the main priorities of the upcoming stage.

In regards to current activities at the ministry, the minister has met with ambassadors and senior officials from various countries, including Algeria, Hungary and Ukraine to discuss cultural, academic and scientific cooperation.

The minister also tackled the issue of students being expelled from Ukrainian universities, working to resolve this matter during his meeting with the Ukrainian chargé d'affaires.

Additionally, Touq met with several students who have returned from Sudanese universities, and listened to their complaints and demands in regards to the tuition fees they are paying, as the HEC had recommended that they pay half the programme fee, while various Jordanian universities did not follow the recommendation. 

The minister also announced that Jordanians studying in bachelor’s and diploma programmes at Jordanian universities can apply to benefit from scholarships and grants for the upcoming academic year until November 28th, and those interested can find all the necessary forms and information on www.dsamohe.gov.jo.

Around 24,000 applications  have been submitted on the website, he said, noting that a total of 2,140 grants and scholarships were available this year across the Kingdom.

He also highlighted the scholarships in Hungary for Jordanian bachelor's, master's and doctoral candidates, with all the requirements and forms available at http://studyinhungary.hu; while information on Hungarian universities and their certificates can be found on rce.mohe.gov.jo/RecgonizedUniversities.