Teacher’s mending of student’s shoe brings attention to situation of underprivileged students

AMMAN — A recent incident of a teacher mending a student's shoe at a public school underscores teachers' paternal role, yet emphasises the need to support underprivileged students, according to parents and educators.

A photo circulated on local media outlets showing teacher Mohammad Rifai stitching a hole in the shoe of one of his students gained public praise, raising a question on what can be done to save students from such "embarrassing" situations.

Rifai, a teacher and a morning assembly presentations coordinator at Qais Bin Thabet public school in Zarqa Governorate's Ruseifa District, some 12km east of Amman, said the incident took place over a month ago.

"Mohammad was one of the students assigned to present at the morning assembly, and I noticed he was trying to hide his shoe… he almost asked to be excused from delivering his part," the teacher told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

"I asked him what was wrong and he said he was tired, but I knew that was not the real reason," Rifai said. Mohammad then said his shoe was pierced on his way to school, but the teacher was also able to tell that was not true either.

"Put your foot on my leg," Rifai told Mohammad, but the latter refused at first.

With some convincing, the teacher was able to mend the shoe before it was time for Mohammad's presentation.

Rifai, who has been a teacher for 22 years, said he was extremely happy when Mohammad came the next morning to say thank you, adding that all teachers in Jordan have that humanitarian urge in them.

“I was lucky I had a chance to act on it,” he said.

Local community members and some Jordanian expatriates have donated money for Mohammad, whose family lives a “below-average” life, the teacher said.

Commenting on the role of the Education Ministry in supporting underprivileged students at public schools, the ministry’s spokesperson, Walid Jallad, said regulations allow canteens at schools to invest revenues for the benefit of school facilities and students.

“In the past, part of the canteen revenues used to go to the ministry, but Minister [Mohammad] Thneibat decided to keep the revenues at the schools to support poor students and implement maintenance work,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Jallad described canteen investments as an “effective” source of income, but he could not provide figures on canteen revenues.

Maisaa Jaradat, a teacher at a public elementary school in east Amman, said there are some students at her school with “very poor” economic conditions.

“There must be a way to provide sustainable support for the families of these students,” she told The Jordan Times over phone, calling on the private sector to direct corporate social responsibility towards helping poor students as a form of investment.

“Students’ social and economic well-being is fundamental to their learning experience,” she noted, adding that not all school canteens carry out assistance initiatives to help underprivileged students.

Omar Rawashdeh, a father of four children in elementary and secondary levels, said he has never heard of investments by canteens at public schools.

The Jerash resident added that walking in a shoe with a hole is “somewhat common” among students in poor and remote areas in the governorate, some 45km north of Amman, that have minimal services.

Jordan Teachers Association Spokesperson Ayman Okour commended Rifai as a “role model” for teachers, adding that building bridges of care and respect with students is an integral part of teachers’ job.

“We encourage teachers to deepen their understanding of students and consider their needs as parents do,” he said. 

The association will honour Rifai as well as the school, its principal and other teachers to encourage such personal initiatives, Okour added.

On Monday, Thneibat honoured Rifai and praised his “humanitarian” act, highlighting the need to deepen this culture among teachers and calling for establishing a fund to support students in need.