Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah launched Phase V of the Madrasati initiative today, which will cover a hundred of the most disadvantaged schools in the governorate of Irbid. During the launch ceremony, which took place at the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Her Majesty focused on the importance of education, its outcomes, and the caliber of skills it instills in its graduates. Speaking about the integral role of education in the process of reform, Her Majesty said: “Economic and political reforms are our goals, yet while they are the target, we didn’t give the means enough attention. Education is the means.” Adding that “a generation empowered with knowledge and modern technology, legal know-how, and political awareness, is a generation capable of conscious, responsible participation, of engaging in dialogue and questioning, of coming up with realistic solutions to society’s problems based on consultation and constructive arguments.” The Queen stressed that education is also an essential component of development, saying: “we need an educational awakening, a skills-based renaissance to reform our education system and guarantee real reform and development. Education is the first requirement for development.” Reaffirming that international experiences have proven that raising the quality of education directly correlates to increases in the country’s GDP. Her Majesty thanked all those who work towards raising the standards of education in Jordan, and all those who give their time and effort to this noble cause: “thank you to all those who worked on improving the quality of our education system and empowering our teachers, to all those who took responsibility for their futures, to all those who gave their time and money and expertise, whether groups, communities or individual.” The Queen thanked all those who supported Madrasati ever since its inception: “thank you to all those who believed in the success of this project and its importance. It’s not easy to have faith and trust in an idea, yet with trust and teamwork we have accomplished together what we could never have accomplished alone.” The ceremony was also attended by HRH Princes Rym Ali; Minister of Education, Fayez Saudi; Minister of Public Works and Housing, Yahia Kasabi; a host of education officials and experts and representatives of NGOs and the private sector, In her speech, Madrasati Director, Danah Dajani spoke about the fifth phase of Madrasati and their proposed plans for schools in Irbid. Following recommendations from the Ministry of Education, Madrasati has selected a hundred of the most disadvantaged schools in Irbid to join the initiative in 2012 which will in turn affect the lives of approximately 29 thousand students, their families, and communities. Plans are set to begin physical renovations during the summer vacation and committees have already been working hard to determine priorities of each school. As part of the Madrasati methodology, focus group discussions will be held with students, teachers, and parents all over Irbid to determine local educational needs. Madrasati’s extracurricular programs will be implemented in Irbid Schools during the second semester in February 2013. In addition to the one hundred schools in Irbid, Madrasati has thus far reached more than 400 schools, affecting the lives of 135 thousand students across the Kingdom. Since the launch of Madrasati in 2008, the initiative has developed an effective education model that works alongside the government, with 90 private sector companies, 10 NGOs, and 5 governmental departments. Although the initiative continues to adapt its work according each school, the core five principles that have always guided the initiative have always remained the same: partnership, local ownership, student focus, transparency, and volunteerism.