Higher education ministry galvanizes students towards vocational studies

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Amin Mahmoud said on Tuesday that the ministry is striving to reduce the number of university students in theoretical studies and steer them towards pursuing technical education. In his opening remarks while addressing a student conference at the Al al-Bayt University on the theme "My University", he said, "The future of nations and their development is at present tied to technical education in the first place, and, to a certain extent, to vocational training." He said students seeking a BA in technical studies in advanced countries comprise 60 per cent of the total student intake, while that share in Jordan is between eight to ten per cent. Mahmoud said the low percentage of students enrolled in technical education is largely due to the high cost of equipment and staff for such education, but said his ministry is endeavouring to develop student skills for the good of the nation and neighbouring countries, trying to attract such expertise, a trend that "makes it incumbent upon ourselves to redouble our efforts in this domain for the benefit of all." The minister urged the civil society institutions to follow the lead of their peers in developed nations in supporting the universities as various sectors needed new specializations in the technical field. He called for creating a system of incentives for the students to seek information and better knowledge, adding, "We aspire to create a generation that holds work as sacred, looks for it and goes after everything new in the technical sciences to develop themselves.