Mutah and Mazar Municipality planning telethon to renovate public schools

AMMAN — The influx of Syrian refugees has added pressure on school facilities in the south of the Kingdom, encouraging Karak Governorate’s Mutah and Mazar Municipality to plan a telethon to collect donations, the mayor said Monday.

“Around 20,000 Jordanian and 5,000 Syrian students are enrolled in the municipality’s 90 public and 20 private schools,” Mutah and Mazar Mayor Mohammad Qatawneh said Monday.

Citing the municipality’s population of 85,000 Jordanians and around 18,000 Syrians, he highlighted the need for some old rented public schools to be to rehabilitated “even before the influx of refugees”.

“Some of the municipality’s public schools are rented houses with a maximum of two toilets, which means that teachers use one, while up to 150 students have to share the other,” Qatawneh said, warning of possible diseases and the spread of epidemics due to the “poor” health conditions at school facilities. 

The official noted that the Education Ministry “does its best, but we always seek to provide better learning conditions for our children”, and a telethon “does not undermine” the state’s services.

Thus the idea of organising a telethon is aimed at encouraging well-off citizens, companies, banks and organisations working in the field of development to donate for improving school facilities, as well as building science labs and playgrounds in 50 of the district’s public schools.

“We expect up to JD200,000 in donations during the three-hour event, which is going to take place within the next two weeks,” Qatawneh told The Jordan Times, noting that the fund-raising event was supposed to take place on Tuesday but was postponed as the education and public works ministers were unable to attend.

The municipality will announce a bank account to receive donations and also accept contributions at its headquarters.

“The right to education is sacred, and we hope that other municipalities across the Kingdom will follow our lead in providing similar services,” Qatawneh concluded, urging citizens and institutions to contribute to the telethon.