Queen joins teacher academy’s staff, trainees for iftar

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday joined trainees and senior staff of the Queen Rania Teacher Academy  for an iftar hosted by the academy. 

The Queen was welcomed by the CEO of the Academy, Haif Banayan, Minister of Education Omar Razzaz and President of the University of Jordan, Azmi Mahafzah, according to a statement from Her Majesty’s office. 

During the iftar, Her Majesty met with teacher students of the Teacher Education Professional Diploma programme, principals of the Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma programme and trainers and senior staff of the academy. 

The Teacher Education Professional Diploma is a programme implemented by the Queen Rania Teacher Academy in collaboration with University College London (UCL) and in partnership with the University of Jordan and the Ministry of Education. First launched in 2016, the programme aims to equip aspiring educators with the necessary skills and expertise to help them better navigate classroom challenges. 

The diploma, which is a nationwide initiative, has thus far formed partnerships with 263 mentors from 126 public schools distributed across various Jordanian governorates, and 111 mentors from 16 private schools within the Greater Amman Municipality, according to the statement. 

Through several university PR campaigns and a far-reaching national campaign, the diploma aims to promote teaching as a profession and prompt interested individuals to apply. The programme has begun its recruitment process for the second cohort of teacher students, with a deadline set for mid-August. Non-Jordanians have also expressed their interest in joining, the statement added. 

The Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma programme was launched in May 2016 by the Queen Rania Teacher Academy in cooperation with the University of Jordan. This multiparty collaboration was developed and realised by the University of Connecticut, the Ministry of Education, and Global Affairs Canada through its project “Scaling up Teacher Professional Development”. 

Targeted at school principals, the one-year diploma develops the capacity and leadership skills of its participants through tools, programmes, plans and systemised decision-making procedures. The project aims to train and certify 325 in-service principals with the aid of well-prepared Ministry of Education and Queen Rania Teacher Academy professionals.