Jordan to keep summer time year-round

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to keep summer time (daylight saving time) year-round.

The decision would keep the Kingdom three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+3).

The move is intended to reduce nighttime working hours and maximise the use of daylight, especially for students attending night classes, as well as public and private sector employees, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Minister of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Wajih Owais decided that the school day will begin at 8:15am (after sunrise) with the first class to be held 8:30am. Schools will open their doors to students at 7:45am to allow working parents to drop off their children at school before the ministries and other public institutions open at 8:30am. 

Regarding the Kingdom's 882 double-shift schools, the second shift will end no later than sunset, per the decision.

For university students' morning classes, the ministry left up the decision to university administrations, as first classes already start after 8am.

The decision is effective from Sunday, October 30, until April 2,  2023. 

About 60 per cent of countries in the world apply time switches, while the remaining 40 per cent keep standard time permanently in place, Petra added.