Undergraduate Education in Jordan

Abstract

I was surprised that the Middle East was not mentioned in the Special Section “The World of Undergraduate Education” (6 July, p. 63-81). The Middle East constitutes 2.9% of the world's population and plays a prominent role in international politics, and the education of its population is a relevant international issue. For details on undergraduate education in various Arab states in the Middle East, go to the UNESCO Web site ( ). In 2005, the gross enrollment ratio ([1][1]) for undergraduate universities in Jordan was about 39%, and females make up 49% of those enrolled ([2][2]). There are 22 (private and public) universities in Jordan, which is a high number since the population of Jordan is only 5.375 million. We have many of the problems discussed in the Special Section, such as using English as the language for science as in the Austrian example (“'Can't have a career… without English,'” J. Bohannon, p. [73][3]) and changing the curriculum from heavy memorization to a more hands-on approach, as has been done in South Korea (“'A strong voice' for course reform,” R. Stone, p. [76][4]). Also, our teaching load is very heavy, leaving little time for research. We are pioneering problem-based learning (PBL, as mentioned in the UK article, “'Much of what we were doing didn't work,'” D. Clery, p. [68][5]) in Jordan, and resistance is high. Older faculty are not interested. It would be nice to have an open dialogue to share experiences and tactics for introducing such methodology and addressing problems. I would suggest having a forum and in the future an international conference to discuss these issues. 1. 1.[↵][6] The number of students enrolled in a level of education as a percentage of the population in the relevant age group for that level. 2. 2.[↵][7] See . [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-2 [3]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.317.5834.73 [4]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.317.5834.76 [5]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.317.5834.68 [6]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1. in text [7]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2. in text