86% of schools connected to Internet

About 99 per cent of the country's schools have at least one computer and 86 per cent of them are connected to the Internet, according to a study released on Wednesday. Conducted by the ministries of information, and communications technology and education, and the Jordan Education Initiative (JEI), the survey showed that there are 95,750 computers in the Kingdom's public, private and         UNRWA schools, about 8,812 of which are not used. According to the study, 100 per cent of UNRWA schools are connected to the Internet, compared to 89 per cent of private schools and 85 per cent of public schools. In addition, 85 per cent of the Kingdom's schools have at least one computer lab, and on average there is one computer per 14 students in the country's schools, the survey found. In private schools there is one computer per 12 students, while in public schools and           UNRWA schools the ratio is one to 14 and one to 28 respectively. According to the study, 77 per cent of teachers have computers at their houses, and 41 per cent have Internet at home, while 57 per cent have personal e-mail accounts. The study also showed that 58 per cent of students have computers at home and 28 per cent of them have Internet services. Minister of Information and Communications Technology Bassem Roussan stressed the importance of the study, noting that the findings will help decision makers come up with solutions on how best to address the challenges facing the education sector in terms of integrating technology in schools. The minister highlighted the importance of connecting schools to Internet, adding that the government is currently focusing on enhancing e-learning and fostering e-curricula to improve the educational sector and support creativity and innovation. Schools with Internet connectivity play an important role in empowering local communities by offering training programmes for local community members, he pointed out. JEI CEO Haif Bannayan also highlighted the importance of the study, noting that it serves as a guideline for decision makers when drawing up strategies and developing plans. The JEI, he said, will use the figures in the study and take them into account when implementing its strategies and programmes. The study also revealed that 4 per cent of UNRWA schools have their own websites, compared to 35 per cent of private schools and 12 per cent of public schools. In addition, it measured use of social networking sites, indicating that 11 per cent of the country's schools have Facebook pages, 1.3 per cent use Twitter and 9 per cent use other social networking sites. Among the major challenges facing schools are old computers that need maintenance, slow Internet connection, a shortage of computers, a lack of Arabic content for educational purposes and financial problems with service providers, according to the study.