Queen Rania Spotlights School in Need of Renovation as She Prioritizes Education Facilities

September 19, 2007

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department – Northern Badia) While the majority of the Kingdom’s schools opened their doors to joyous students earlier this month, many of those doors opened to creeks and crackles of rusted steel and poor infrastructure. As Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah passed through another of these schools, in Sabha, she highlighted the need to focus on providing a better environment for the students.

The Sabha Elementary School for Girls, which caters to almost 150 students, has been providing quality education to its students since its inception in 1980. Despite the infrastructural damage and the objectionable environment, the school has been recognized as one of the top schools in the area.

Still, the principal stressed that the students need better facilities – from improving neglected bathrooms to upgrading the classrooms. Queen Rania, who has focused her recent school visits on the school environment, showed her concern and pushed for more community involvement and private sector funding.

“Education not only changes individual lives, but also benefits families, communities and future generations, and that is why we all have a stake in improving the quality of our children’s education,” said the Queen.

Queen Rania’s recent visits to some of the Kingdom’s most dire schools have intensified her efforts to highlight the need for change. There are over 1.6 million school age children in Jordan and Queen Rania has been an outspoken advocate of improving the quality of education for them. From teacher training to improving the curriculum, Queen Rania hails education as the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.