Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Two million students will head to schools across the Kingdom Sunday, including 200,000 first grade pupils, marking the start of the new scholastic year 2018/2019.

In a back-to-school press statement, Minister of Education, Azmi Mahafazah, congratulated the teachers, education staff and students on the new academic year, hoping that it will be a year of "giving, fruitful work and success".

He expressed hope that the students "will reach an educational level worthy of our Jordan and one that rises to that in developed countries and contribute to enhancing the culture of science and knowledge".

The Education Ministry's spokesman, Walid Al-Jallad, said the ministry had stepped up preparations for the new academic year despite the many challenges, notably the "large and natural rise" in the numbers of students and overcrowded classrooms, noting that over 130,000 Syrian refugee students are enrolled in the Kingdom's schools.

These, he said, usually pose a huge pressure on the Ministry of Education at the beginning of each academic year, prompting the ministry to run the two-shift system in some of the schools and charter more schools.

He also said 16 new schools have been built and 202 classrooms added in existing schools this year and will be ready to receive students for the new academic year.