Tens of thousands of children of Iraqi refugees in Jordan are to be allowed into state schools after the summer holidays, Jordanian officials announced on Tuesday. "The Jordanian ministry of education's decision to accept Iraqi children in public schools without the need to obtain residency permits ... will solve a big problem for the Iraqi community," Iraqi ambassador Saad Hayani told AFP.
Education ministry official Mohammed Akur noted "around 50,000 Iraqi students" are expected to enroll in public schools when the 2007-2008 academic year starts later this month.
The move "is in response to the humanitarian situation the Iraqis are going through. It is meant to ensure Iraqi children access to education," Akur told the pro-government Jordan Times daily. Akur said 14,000 Iraqi pupils were already enrolled in schools across the kingdom.
According to Hayani, Iraqi children needed to have Jordanian residency permits to be allowed into state schools although the requirement was dropped last year for private schools. "Most of the Iraqis in Jordan do not have residency permits," Hayani said.
