AMMAN — The Cabinet, during a session chaired by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan on Sunday, approved the validating reasons for the draft amendments to the Student Support Fund bylaw in Jordanian public universities for 2025, in preparation for urgently referring it to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau for further processing.

 

The proposed amendments aim to align the bylaw with the Higher Education and Scientific Research Law No. 17 of 2018, which assigns the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research the responsibility of providing grants and loans to students in public universities under this framework, according to a Prime Ministry statement.

 

The amendments reflect its commitment to reviewing and improving legislation, particularly those directly affecting students, by ensuring fairness, equal opportunities, and directing support to eligible beneficiaries based on clear and transparent criteria, the statement read.

 

Under the proposed amendments, the number of full scholarships for top students in each district will increase from six to eight. The scope of humanitarian cases would also expand to include families where the head of household has a disability, provided they hold an identification card issued by the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

 

The draft bylaw also allocated five per cent of partial scholarships and loans to students eligible for the Royal Makruma (Royal Scholarship) for children of teachers working in the Ministry of Education in each district.

 

Student eligibility would be determined based on a total of 1,000 points: 400 for academic performance, 300 for registration with the National Aid Fund, 200 for having up to two siblings enrolled in universities, and 100 for residence relative to the university’s location, with points ranging from 25 to 100 depending on distance, the statement said.

 

The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Burundi to regulate the employment of Burundian domestic workers. The agreement aims to expand recruitment markets, enhance competition, and reduce labour costs.

 

The Council of Ministers also endorsed an MoU between Jordan’s Public Prosecution Department and Oman’s Public Prosecution Office, represented by the Supreme Judicial Council, to boost legal and judicial cooperation, exchange expertise, and enhance bilateral relations in various fields.