Amman, August 16 (Petra) - Prime Minister Jafar Hassan announced on Sunday that the government will allocate an additional JD10 million to the Student Support Fund, following directives from His Majesty King Abdullah II.

During a Cabinet meeting, Hassan said the funding will be sourced from public auctions of premium vehicle license plates, allowing 10,000 additional public university students to receive financial aid starting this academic year.

The government doubled its allocation for the Student Support Fund over the past two years from JD20 million to JD40 million, expanding total coverage to approximately 63,000 students annually.

The Prime Minister also congratulated the High School General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) graduates, wishing them "success in their transition to university studies or vocational paths." He noted that this year recorded the "highest" Tawjihi pass rate, adding that adapting to labor market demands remains the "true measure" of student achievement.

Hassan pointed to structural reforms underway following the establishment of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development. The ministry is undergoing an operational restructuring focused on integrating modern technology, refining curricula, empowering teachers, and upgrading infrastructure.

Over the past year, the government completed 86 new public schools, alongside classroom additions and kindergarten expansions, including 14 schools built through private sector corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Additionally, the Prime Minister announced the launch of the Kingdom’s first school transportation project in the southern governorates and the Southern Badia next week.

Serving approximately 9,000 students and 900 teachers, the program aims to improve access to education before expanding to central and northern regions.

//Petra// HA