Amman, November 18: Jordan’s Queen Rania warned on Wednesday that her country’s educational system is threatened by school violence, which affects more than half of the kingdom’s schoolchildren, her office said.
“Our education pyramid is threatened. There are deficiencies in the educational system,” she was quoted as telling 4,500 school principals, senior government official and UN experts at the launch of a UN-backed campaign against school violence in Jordan.
“Violence should never be a legitimate method of disciplining children,” she said. “Humiliating students or instilling fear in them is unacceptable and counter-productive.”
More than two-thirds of children in Jordan suffer from verbal abuse by their parents, while 57 percent experience physical abuse at the hands of their school teachers and administrators, according to a study conducted by the UN children’s fund (UNICEF) and the education ministry.
“Violence is increasing in our society. Unfortunately, not all of us are aware of the gravity of the situation,” the queen said, wife of King Abdullah II.
The royal couple has repeatedly called for stricter measures to protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse.
Recent government figures show that between 1,300 and 1,400 cases of sexually abused children are reported in Jordan each year.
—Agencies