Queen Rania Meets with Madrasati Students from Karak, Ma’an, Aqaba, and Tafileh

September 13, 2011

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department- Al-Karak) –Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah made a visit to Southern Mazar in Al Karak governorate today, to witness firsthand the accomplishments of Madrasati in the area and visit Al Mazar Charitable Society.

At Al Mazar Elementary Mixed School, Queen Rania was received by the school principal, Mrs. Maha Attiyat, a winner of the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education, Principal Award and Madrasati Director, Ms. Danah Al Dajani. Her Majesty was briefed by three students, while touring the school, on the physical improvements in the school’s infrastructure and the programs being implemented by Madrasati.

In the teachers' room the Queen was briefed on the positive effects Madrasati had on the schools and the teaching environment. Queen Rania stopped by the Mother and Daughter Computer Literacy Program; one of the programs initiated in Al Mazar School during the Madrasati summer club. The program’s aim was to assist mothers and daughters from the local communities to learn how to use computers in an interactive way specifically through access to the internet. The mother and daughter groups presented, in front of Her Majesty, a website that they each designed and the benefits it has to their day to day lives.

At the “Students' Empowerment Room”, Her Majesty sat with a group of students representing Madrasati phase III from Karak, Ma’an, Tafileh, and Aqaba. The students have been working as part of the program on two components; personal development and self appreciation.

Her Majesty also attended part of a session with a group of teachers, exchanging and discussing their different achievements and techniques. All teachers participating in the discussion, took training courses at the Queen Rania Teachers Academy (QRTA). The conversation centered around old teaching strategies and highlighted which teaching strategies should be changed based on lessons learnt.

Teachers also shared new strategies adopted in their classrooms and along with success stories and examples.

Her Majesty also saw a presentation on the progress and achievements of Madrasati Phase III in the South, conducted by Hanaa Jumaa from Madrasati. The presentation included updates on programs implemented in the South and key points that differentiate this phase from others.

Queen Rania also stopped by a new Madrasati project, “Lab on Wheels”. “Lab on Wheels ” are mobile science labs that travel to schools and provide students with the opportunity to conduct the science experiments they learn in class by equipping them with the tools they otherwise lack.

In Al Mazar, the Queen joined a group of 6th graders doing an experiment outdoors with volunteers from the Jordan German University. Following the school, Her Majesty visited Al Mazar Charitable Society. Established in 1969, it is considered one of the oldest societies in the area. Through its Kindergarten (Zaid Bin Hareth Kindergarten), it provides a semi free of charge service for local residents in the area, while the Al Mazar Society Elementary School provides services to more than 160 students in the area.

Madrasati Phase III includes 100 schools selected in the south of Jordan, in Karak, Tafileh, Ma’an and Aqaba. 25500 students and 1750 teachers benefited from the initiative in the south. The main components of Madrasati phase III include: Technology as an interactive educational tool; Teachers’ Training; Students empowerment; Arts and creativity; Summer and winter clubs and camps; Youth and voluntarism; Health awareness; and the relationship between the local community and the schools.