Amman - 23/012/2019 – Under the patronage of his Excellency Minister of Education Dr. Tayseer Al Nuaimi, and in the presence of the President of the University of Jordan Prof. Abdul Karim Al-Qudah and the Senior Development Officer at the Embassy of Canada in Jordan, Ms. Meisoon Haddad, Queen Rania Teacher Academy hosted the graduation of public school principals from the third and fourth cohorts of the Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma (AILPD) for the academic year 2018/2019, funded by the Government of Canada through its project “Scaling Up Teacher Professional Development”.
217 graduates representing all 12 governorates of Jordan successfully completed the 24 credit hours required over the academic year 2018/2019.
On this occasion, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tayseer Al-Naimi congratulated the graduates and confirmed the importance of the Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma which was launched by Queen Rania Teacher Academy in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. Dr. Nuaimi reiterated that the Ministry of Education has always been supportive of all efforts to develop teaching and learning in Jordan to ensure best quality outcomes.
His Excellency extended his gratitude to those responsible for the implementation of the program as well as those funding it. Going on to state that this day crowns those efforts in graduating qualified leaders who possess the needed knowledge, skill and creativity to excel.
The president of the University of Jordan, Professor Abdulkarim Al Qudah, stated that the importance of partnerships with various national institutions is not new, as the consecutive administrations of the university have avidly supported all partnerships aiming to achieve the advancement of national interests as is evident in its embrace of QRTA as an institution that works towards the development of education in Jordan, a national priority and royal mission. . QRTA is only one of the many institutions thus supported and is joined by the National Center for Endocrine and Diabetes, Al Hussein Center for Cancer and the Jordan Academy of Arabic as institutions that touch the educational, health and cultural needs of Jordanian citizens.
Professor Al Qudah continued to say that QRTA and the University of Jordan share a common vision with respect to preparing and graduating qualified instructional leaders guided by the latest research in the field. To that end, the University of Jordan alongside Queen Rania Teacher Academy launched the Advanced Educational Leadership Diploma.
On his part, QRTA CEO Dr. Osama Obeidat added The Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma (AILPD) aims to acquaint educational leaders with concepts and equip them with key management skills to effectively lead successful educational institutions, and deliver practical knowledge that enables participants to understand and appreciate the enormity of the responsibility they have.
Obeidat elaborated that the success stories shared show tangible change within schools that have now moved towards becoming effective learning institutions by creating supportive learning environments through the application of tools provided to assess and analyze the challenges faced by their schools and the development of procedural plans to address teaching problems and follow-up on implementation. He underlined that the diploma seeks to bring about fundamental changes in leadership practices by exploring global best practices in educational leadership.
One of year 3 graduates, Intesar Al Bdour, principal of Al Zubairiyya Primary School in Shobak, stated, “gaining a deep understanding of organizational leadership enabled me to adopt a well-researched and well-planned methodology to identify vital problems of practice, . I discerned the importance of having a clear vision for development based on the instructional core; student, teacher and content and through building a positive school culture.”
She added, “ With time I became more aware of the different factors that affect curriculum development and assessment and its role in supporting learners to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to adapt to a rapidly changing world.”
She went on to state that by completing the required tasks she was able to develop her understanding and better apply the theory of change. She was able to bring her team together to work collaboratively to carry out a comprehensive plan for school wide development based on modern teaching and assessment strategies The fifth cohort, which included 108 principals from different regions of the Kingdom, were provided the opportunity to complete the Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma for the academic year 2019/2020, in coordination with the Ministry of Education and with the support of the Chinese "Jack Ma" Foundation.
Launched in 2016, in cooperation with the University of Jordan (UJ), and the Global Affairs Canada, the Advanced Leadership Diploma Programme benefited 325 Jordanian principals.
The Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma (AILPD) was launched in May 2016 in collaboration with the University of Jordan and based on the professional development curriculum in cooperation with the University of Connecticut (UCONN). The Diploma concentrates on developing the knowledge and skills of instructional leaders to connect educational theory to practice. Geared to create a positive school culture and enhance classroom practices, the twenty-four-credit hour Diploma program provides principals with tools that enable them to systematize decision-making procedures, which ensures effectiveness within the school environment.
Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA) is a national independent non-profit organization committed to the vision of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of empowering educators with the skills, recognition, and support necessary to excel in their classrooms. Since it was launched in 2009 in partnership with the Ministry of Education, QRTA offers professional development programs for teachers in accordance with the educational needs in Jordan and the Arab World.
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