Queen Rania Visits Schools in Irbid Prior to the Launch of Madrasati Phase V

May 02, 2012

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department- Irbid) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah paid a visit to three schools in Irbid today, prior to the launch of Madrasati Phase V, which targets schools in the northern governorate and second largest city in the Kingdom. Her Majesty checked up on the conditions in the schools, and was briefed on the improvements and refurbishment work that’s planned to take place in them.

At the Hai Al Saleh Elementary School for Boys the Queen chatted to students and teachers and heard from the school’s principle about their needs and the urgent interventions that Madrasati will be working on in the school. Interventions in the school include: building a new bathroom unit, establishing a playground, installing new windows, general internal maintenance works and installing new gates.

Meanwhile, in the Hai Al Saleh Elementary School for Girls, the Queen saw where partition walls will be built to create more classrooms with more privacy for each, in addition to several other structural rehabilitation interventions. 

Her Majesty also visited The Yubla Co-ed Elementary School, where she spoke with teachers, the school’s principle and received a brief on the planned renovations in the school from Madrasati Director, Danah Dajani. The Queen toured the school’s classrooms and facilities and witnessed firsthand where the much needed renovations will take place.

Following recommendations from the Ministry of Education, Madrasati has selected a hundred of the most disadvantaged schools in Irbid to join the initiative in 2012 which will in turn affect the lives of approximately 28,500 students, their families, and communities. Plans are set to begin physical renovations during the summer vacation and committees have already been working hard to determine priorities of each school.

As part of Madrasati methodology, focus group discussions will be held with students, teachers, and parents all over Irbid to determine local educational needs. Madrasati’s extracurricular programs will be implemented in Irbid Schools during the second semester in February 2013.

Since the launch of Madrasati in 2008, the initiative has developed an effective education model that works alongside the government, with 90 private sector companies, 10 NGOs, and 5 government departments. Although the initiative continues to adapt its work according each specific school, the core five principles that have always guided the initiative have always remained the same: partnership, local ownership, student focus, transparency, and volunteerism.