Teachers’ association demands Thneibat’s resignation

AMMAN — The Jordan Teachers’ Association (JTA) on Sunday called on Deputy Prime Minister for Services and Education Minister Mohammed Thneibat to resign over controversial amendments to school curricula. 

In a statement, a copy of which was sent to The Jordan Times, the association said that recent amendments to the curricula harmed Islamic and Arab values and the Palestinian cause, and demanded Thneibat’s resignation, accusing the minister of several missteps against teachers and students.  

The JTA crisis committee will meet to discuss the amended curricula, the statement said.  

Despite several attempts by The Jordan Times, ministry spokesperson, Walid Jallad, was not available for comment, but the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Sunday that Thneibat has formed a committee of former ministers and education experts to review the textbooks in question and offer detailed recommendations.

The ministry, Petra said, welcomes constructive suggestions from experts in the field.  

In a statement on Saturday, the ministry criticised the “targeted campaign” that it said sought to undermine efforts to develop and improve the educational process. 

Curricula amendments should not be taken out of context, the ministry said, adding that opinions or suggestions by experts were welcome. 

The ministry will not tolerate any attempt to politicise education or to manipulate students’ minds, the statement said, noting that teaching Islam as a religion of moderation and tolerance was not against the faith. 

On September 10, the minister formed a committee of experts to look into the criticisms of the new curricula.

The Jordan Medical Association has also criticised the amendments and warned against any infringement of “society’s Arab and Islamic values”.