AMMAN — The Cabinet on Sunday approved procedures to establish five new technical schools at a total cost of nearly JD25 million, as part of government efforts to expand educational infrastructure and vocational and technical education.

 

The decision, approved during a Cabinet session chaired by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, comes alongside the launch of the Kingdom’s first free school transport project in the Southern Badia and the completion of the legislative framework for establishing the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development.

 

The five schools are Al Qweismeh Secondary School for Boys in Amman, Rehab Secondary School for Boys in Mafraq, Jerash Secondary School for Girls, Wadi Al Rayyan Secondary School for Boys and ZabdahFarkouh Secondary School for Boys in Irbid.

 

The designs and implementation procedures were approved after ensuring full compliance with the required educational, technical and engineering standards, while the sites were selected based on specialised studies that considered actual needs and the capacity to accommodate the largest possible number of students.

 

The five schools will add to 86 new schools established and opened for teaching across the Kingdom in less than a year, an unprecedented number in a single year, helping address challenges related to the double-shift system and rented school buildings, alongside projects to add classrooms and establish kindergarten classes.

 

The first phase of the free school transport project covers 61 government schools in the Southern Badia, serving around 9,000 students through 120 buses, with the project later to be expanded to the northern and central governorates.

 

The Cabinet also approved the National School Nutrition Programme for 2026–2030 and tasked the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development with taking the necessary measures to implement it in coordination with relevant authorities.

 

The programme aims to improve students’ health, promote healthy eating habits and ensure that meals comply with strict health and nutritional standards, while maintaining the quality of products provided to students and enhancing health awareness among students and school communities.

 

Under the new plan, production kitchens will play a key role in the school nutrition programme, contributing to the sustainability of jobs, supporting local products and enhancing the programme’sdevelopmental and social impact.

 

The programme currently benefits around 500,000 students, with meals prepared in line with public safety standards and specifications approved by health and regulatory authorities