The Ministry of Education warns against enrolling in unaccredited schools outside Jordan and confirms that their certificates will not be equivalated

He explained that the ministry recently dealt with cases of Jordanian students who enrolled in the Khartoum International Advanced School in Egypt, despite previous media warnings against doing so, noting that the ministry did not equivalate the certificates submitted by these students because they did not meet the required documents and were not duly certified, before official correspondence began to verify the school's status.

Al-Khatib added that official correspondence confirmed that the school does not hold the necessary licenses to teach the American program or any other curricula in Egypt, according to what was reported by the Sudanese Embassy in Cairo, noting that the school was removed from the list of Sudanese schools in Cairo and Giza for failing to regularize its status.

He pointed out that the only licensed Sudanese school in Egypt is the Friendship School, which teaches the Sudanese curriculum to the children of the Sudanese community, noting that Egyptian authorities do not approve the study of students of other Arab nationalities in schools designated for teaching their countries' curricula, including schools that teach Libyan or Sudanese curricula.

Al-Khatib pointed out that some intermediaries exploit students and their families by promoting these schools, and may charge large sums of money in exchange for registering students in them, calling on families to exercise caution and verify the legal status of schools before enrolling in them.

He called on students wishing to study outside the Kingdom to review the non-Jordanian certificate equivalency instructions before registering, and to contact the Non-Jordanian Certificate Equivalency Department at the Examinations and Tests Directorate to verify the school's status, or inquire with the Jordanian Embassy in the relevant country, to ensure that the certificate meets the conditions for recognition and equivalency upon returning to the Kingdom.

He emphasized that verifying the school's accreditation and licensing in the country of study, as well as the entity responsible for education in the state to which the school belongs, is an essential step to avoid wasting time, effort, and money as a result of obtaining a certificate that cannot be equivalated.

Regarding the reasons why some students head to study outside Jordan to obtain a General Secondary Education Certificate (Tawjihi), Al-Khatib explained that there are no sufficient studies to determine the actual reasons for this phenomenon, warning against linking it exclusively to the new Tawjihi system, as the phenomenon has existed for decades, and the ministry has previously faced similar cases related to certificates issued by schools in other countries.

He pointed out that the Jordanian Tawjihi system grants students flexibility in taking subjects over two years, retaking subjects, and obtaining a new average, in addition to the existence of school-based success subjects and ministerial-based success subjects, and the possibility of not taking exams for some subjects that are not related to the path the student wishes to pursue or university admission requirements.

He added that the Unified Admission Coordination Unit conducts annual placement exams in physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics for more than 3,500 Jordanian students holding Arab and foreign secondary school certificates, noting that the average scores of students in these exams exceed 65 percent, and may reach 70 percent, according to him.

Al-Khatib stressed that the equivalency of non-Jordanian certificates is subject to specific conditions and instructions, including that the certificate must be recognized in its country of origin and issued by an accredited educational entity, in addition to proving the student's residence in the country of study for at least two years with one of the parents or the person responsible for their care, according to the approved instructions.

He confirmed that obtaining a secondary school certificate from outside the Kingdom does not exempt the student from meeting the equivalency conditions.

Al-Khatib warned against resorting to unaccredited schools with the aim of obtaining a certificate without adhering to study and examination requirements, due to the consequences that may prevent the recognition of the certificate upon returning to Jordan.