On the return to school

The academic year has once again returned to its annual rhythm, with more than 2,200,000 boys and girls have returned to their classrooms in the various schools across our dear Jordan. It is a scene that is repeated every year, yet every time it carries a new beginning, a new dream, and another step on the path of building the human being and the future.

Some students attend school for the first time in the kindergarten stage, taking their first steps in education. Others are starting their final year of secondary school, when the “big concern” begins and preparations are made for a decisive stage in their lives. Some students are studying foreign and international curricula, while others have left their school desks this year and are awaiting university admissions as they prepare to start a new phase in life.

How beautiful this procession is which enhances human dignity, namely learning step by step, year after year, and moving from one grade to the next. Education is not merely about certificates and examinations. It is rather about building character, mind, and conscience, as well as preparing humans to become active and contributing members of their societies and homelands.

As for parents and dear guardians, they take great pride in their sons and daughters, yet their joy is not bereft of worries, foremost among them are school tuition fees, particularly in private schools. Some schools have seen their fees rise significantly. At the same time, there are what we call “pastoral schools,” which extend an educational and humanitarian mission that care for the poor students, while striving to keep their fees within reasonable limits.

What distinguishes this year is the growing presence of technological development and Artificial Intelligence, which places before students an enormous amount of information and new learning tools. This is an important opportunity, yet it requires awareness and caution for Artificial Intelligence does not eliminate the need for school, and the screen cannot replace the teacher. Furthermore, rapidly obtained information is not a substitute for solid knowledge based on reliable sources, references, and documented evidence. From this premise, the importance of the teacher and the school curriculum becomes prominent, particularly with reference to our national curriculums, in instilling knowledge, national spirit, and noble human character.

Warm greetings are conveyed to the teachers returning to their schools. A teacher carries not only a book, but also a mission and a trust, despite the burdens of daily life that weigh heavily upon them. Our greetings are also conveyed to parents, school administrations, employees, and all those working in our schools, as well as to the school bus drivers who carry the responsibility of safeguarding the well-being of our sons and daughters.

The students of today are the hope of tomorrow and the future of our homeland. We want them to grow, as well as for their dreams, knowledge, and values to grow with them. In my capacity as an educational and media priest who continuously calls for deeper dialogue and greater cordiality among all citizens, regardless of their religions and communities, I hope that school will remain a genuine space for building a culture of encounter, teach, through example before words, the values of acceptance, tolerance, and mutual respect. May it also instill in future generations the understanding that difference does not mean hostility, that diversity is a source of enrichment, and that good citizenship brings us together as one family under the banner of one homeland and one wise Hashemite leadership.

May this be a blessed and fruitful academic year for all. May God protect our children, their teachers, and their families, and may God protect Jordan, its leadership, and its people.