Director-General and Jordanian Minister of Education discuss challenges of youth employment and teacher training
On 21 May, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova met with Jordanian Minister of Education and Chairperson of the Jordan National Commission for UNESCO His Excellency Fayez Saudi. They discussed challenges of youth employment and teacher training.
The Director-General congratulated the Minister for his recent appointment as Minister of Education of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. She praised the country for its progress in reaching gender parity in primary and secondary education in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and focusing on enrollment by promoting access to compulsory education.
The Minister emphasized that technical and vocational education (TVET) remains a key challenge in Jordan, especially with regard to youth entrepreneurship and youth employment.
The Minister asked for UNESCO's continued support to teachers and the urgent need to develop policy-planning and education skills to allow youth to access the global market.
The meeting was followed by an interactive exchange with high level representatives of the Jordan National Commission for UNESCO in the presence of Ms. Intisar Ismael Saleh Al-Gheiwi, Secretary General of the UNESCO National Commission.
The Director-General commended the National Commission for its high level support to Iraqi, Palestinian and Syrian refugee children.
The Commission's growing commitment in the areas of cultural heritage preservation and bioethics was also discussed.
The Minister of Education thanked UNESCO and its Office in Amman for its ongoing assistance in the development of a national TVET strategy and the preparation of the national plan to incorporate entrepreneurship education priorities in higher education.
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