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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - In a step lauded by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah as "a long-awaited Jordanian accomplishment," the Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA) on Monday graduated the first cohort of teachers and principals to receive two newly introduced professional diplomas in Jordan.

In her remarks at the graduation ceremony, Queen Rania described the establishment of the Teacher Education Professional Diploma (TEPD) as a gateway for transforming teaching from a job into a career, beyond which is a limitless horizon, to be crossed "one graduating class at a time." Her Majesty also recalled the launch of the National Strategy for Human Resources Development by His Majesty King Abdullah II in 2016. "On that day, I presented the reality of education in Jordan, and we decisively moved forward on a roadmap for education reform that elevates teachers’ qualifications and improves learning outcomes," Her Majesty said.

Despite perceptions at that time of the Jordanian education system as "a wilted tree – parched, and incapable of bearing fruit," Her Majesty affirmed that education in the country is very much alive, describing the graduates as "heralds of the upcoming educational spring." "One year ago, we said that the education we provide our children over the course of 12 years must be a journey that is worthy of their childhood, and we attested to the fact that, in Jordan, when we want to achieve something, we can," Queen Rania stated. "Today, I say with much pride, we willed and we acted." During the ceremony, which was held at the Royal Cultural Palace, 174 teacher trainees were awarded the TEPD, while 33 school principals received the Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma (AILPD).

Both diplomas, each consisting of 24 credit hours, were introduced during the previous academic year in line with QRTA’s efforts to implement the National Strategy for Human Resources Development.

Minister of Education Omar Al Razzaz also gave a speech in which he deemed the graduation of the diplomas’ first cohort "a major turning point in the quality of our educational system, in line with the Ministry's plans and policies for teacher development and in cooperation with QRTA and the University of Jordan." Going on to mention the Ministry’s attempts to elevate not only teachers’ status but also the education system as a whole, Razzaz described the training and preparation of teachers as "a cornerstone of the developmental and modernization processes." "At the beginning of their professional lives, this first cohort of graduates has acquired skills and teaching methods prior to ever entering the classroom, resulting in an enriched educational environment that fosters creativity and excellence. This is sure to reflect positively on our children, leading to the development of a generation of innovative and competitive youth capable of impacting the community." The TEPD was established by QRTA to equip new teachers with necessary skills and to empower them to excel in the classroom based on the latest developments in the education field. The diploma was launched with technical assistance from University College London’s Institute of Education and accreditation from the University of Jordan.

Meanwhile, the AILPD was introduced for school principals to improve the educational environment in Jordan’s schools and provide further support to the nation’s teachers.

The diploma was developed and implemented in partnership with the University of Connecticut in the United States, in coordination with the Ministry of Education and with accreditation from the University of Jordan.

An initiative of Her Majesty, QRTA is an independent non-profit organization committed to empowering educators with the skills, recognition, and support necessary to excel in their classrooms. Since its launch in 2009 in partnership with the Ministry of Education, QRTA has offered a variety of other training courses to 50,000 teachers across Jordan, in accordance with the educational needs of Jordan and the Arab World.