THE HASHEMITEKINGDOM OF JORDAN

EDUCATION REFORM FOR THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY II

(ERfKE II)

Land Acquisition Plan (LAP)

February 18, 2009

EDUCATION REFORM FOR KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY (ERfKE II)

Land Acquisition Plan (LAP)

1. Introduction

The development objectives of the overall ERfKE Program are to transform the education system at the basic and secondary levels to produce graduates with the skills necessary for the knowledge economy. ERfKE I began implementation during 2003 and will close in 2009. ERfKE II is a follow-on project and will be implemented between 2009 and 2014. The National Education Strategy that was published and disseminated during ERfKE I provides the framework for the MoE Strategic Plan 2008-2013. The Strategy also provides a foundation for ERfKE II.

The development objective of ERfKE II is “Students enrolled in all streams of pre-tertiary education in Jordan will acquire skills necessary for participation in the knowledge economy.” This will be monitored through the following key indicators:

  • Increase in scores on school, national, and international assessments aligned with knowledge economy skills.
  • Increase in completion rates/decrease in dropout rates.
  • Increase in enrollment rates.

ERfKE II aims to provide quality education facilities in a cost effective and sustainable manner so that students have access to environmentally friendly and efficiently operated quality physical learning environments. Population growth coupled with external factors results in a need to continue to expand the school construction and rehabilitation program in order to ensure expanded access for kindergarten, primary, and secondary education. Similarly, infrastructure related to building learners’ knowledge economy skills need to be expanded and enhanced to provide access to a rich and quality physical learning environment for all children. A detailed planning analysis has assessed the current situation regarding access to and utilization of physical facilities, and provides the basis for a civil works program that addresses rehabilitation, extensions and new construction some of which are replacing existing facilities.

2. Description of ERfKE II Project

ERfKE II will be implemented by the MoE over a period of five years from 2009 to 2014. The Project consists of the following five components:

Component 1: Establishment of a National School-based Development System.

The objective of this component is to establish a well functioning, school-based development process as the main vehicle to deliver to all young people of the Kingdom a quality education focused on developing the abilities, skills and attitudes associated with a knowledge based economy. The ERfKE II Project, building on the experience and achievements of ERfKE I, and guided by best practice internationally, will have as its strategic focus the delivery of improvement through local school development processes focused on improving student learning outcomes. Investment in the component will be used to develop the required procedural instruments and local and national structures, and to build the professional capacity within the system to use these instruments effectively and drive the whole process forward positively.

Component 2: Policy, Planning, M&E and Organizational Change

The objective of Component 2 is to build upon ERfKE I investments related to policy, planning and M&E, and to ensure that outputs from these activities fully support and inform the adoption of a school centered approach to the delivery of education services. The component has two sub-components: (i) Policy Development, Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation; and (ii) Organizational Development.

Component 3: Teaching and Learning Resources

The objective of this component is to: (i) review and further develop teacher employment, utilization and professional development policies and practices; and, (ii) fine-tune curriculum and student assessment to ensure alignment with Knowledge Based Economy reforms continued from ERfKE I. This component consists of two sub-components: the first sub-component focuses on teacher policies, training and professional development, and the second concerns curriculum fine-tuning, and the development of assessment and learning resources – including use of ICT and e-learning.

Component 4: Special Focus Program Development

The objective of this component is to improve inclusive access to learning for all children in Jordan through special focus on three critical sub-sectors: Early Childhood Education, Special Education and Vocational Education.

Component 5: Quality Physical Learning Environments

The objective of this component is improved provision of quality education facilities in a cost effective and sustainable manner so that students have access to environmentally friendly and efficiently operated quality physical learning environments. A detailed planning analysis has assessed the current situation regarding access to and utilization of physical facilities, and revealed the need for further substantial investment in construction and rehabilitation to reduce overcrowding and accommodating projected enrolment increases, while facilitating more efficient utilization of underutilized schools. This component has three sub-components: (i) Alignment of MOE standards with international design standards, and the requirement of education reform; (ii) construction of new schools and provision of extensions to existing schools; and (iii) establishing a maintenance and management system for school buildings.

3. Description of Land Acquisition Plan (LAP)

1)Component 5 involves the replacement of unsafe buildings and the upgrading of facilities to support the education reform initiatives for transformations in learning for the knowledge economy and additional schools and extensions to deal with significant population growth. This will help provide quality physical learning environments for kindergartens, basic and secondary schools, alleviating overcrowding, and reducing rented and doubles-shift facilities,

2)To this end, a school mapping exercise (GIS) was implemented by the Directorate of Educational Planning in the MOE and provided the information necessary for a rationalization of existing enrolment disparities and the selection of sites for the allocation of additional student places (both new schools and school extensions. As a result of this exercise, the Ministry was able to identify the needs of newly constructed schools and extensions that will be implemented during ERfKE II and based on specific site selection criteria.

3)The Ministry has an annual allocation for the acquisition of lands. During the last five years the Ministry acquired the necessary lands that will be used for the construction of ERfKE II as well as for construction of other MOE buildings. This secures the lands for 80 identified schools out of 82 schools that would be constructed during ERfKE II.

4)For the remaining two sites, both of which have been identified, land will need to be acquired. The two sites are located in Zarqa and North Ghor, and both are privately owned. The owners of the two sites have been identified and approached by MOE who briefed them on the project and the need for more schools due to overcrowding and demand. They were briefed about the school mapping study as well as selection of suitable sites for new school construction based on site selection criteria. Both owners have expressed their agreement to sell each of their land for compensation. The North Ghor property is vacant, and no person(s) are occupying either land or drawing their livelihood from this site. The Zarqa site is occupied by a small school that is rented by MOE, and will be demolished to be replaced by the new school. The students attending the rented school will be moved temporarily to the closest school, which the MOE confirms can accommodate the students until the new school is constructed. No other persons are either occupying this land or drawing their livelihood from it.

5)The legal framework for the acquisition of land for public utility as well as on the compensation regulations is reflected in Law of Acquisition No. 12 for the year 1987 and it’s Addendum. The main clauses in the law that are directly relevant to the project’s land acquisition process are outlined in paragraphs 6 - 8 below.

6)The process of acquisition involves a number of steps:

  1. Announcement by the Land Authority Department of the plan to acquire for public utility purposes for the benefit of the Ministry of Education. This is advertised in two local newspapers.
  2. Fifteen days after the announcement date, the land Authority department requests the approval from the Prime Ministry to acquire the land.
  3. A committee with representatives from MOF, MOE, and the Land Acquisition Authority determines the value of compensation. Compensation is determined taking into consideration the following:
  • Cost estimate is based on the market price for the total area of the land at the day of the announcement for acquiring the land in the newspaper.
  • The price of the nearby sites.
  • The price should consider the cost of using and benefiting from the site if any.
  • If the owner disagrees with the cost estimated by the committee, he can take his grievance to another committee with a different set of members from MOF, MOE and the Land Acquisition Authority; and all efforts will be made to resolve the issue. If the owner is still in disagreement with the cost, he has the right by law to appeal to the court to make the cost estimate. The court will then intervene and define a cost, which both parties will have to agree to. Once this issue is taken to the court, it is to be resolved within 3 months.
  • After a decision has been made on the price, either by agreement or by court decision, the Ministry of education pays the cost of the land to the Land Authority Department, who in turn pays the owner and finalizes the registration of land for the Ministry.

7)The Land Authority Department is the responsible body in the country to oversee the acquisition, payment, registration, etc. The Ministry of Education will issue a check in the agreed amount to the Land Authority Department which in turn will pay it to the seller.

8)Monitoring arrangements

  1. The process requires approval from the prime ministry. With this request, the plan of land, cost estimate, and the financial ability of the ministry should be annexed to the request as evidence. The prime ministry has the right to approve the acquisition for public utility, otherwise it will be rejected.
  2. The cost estimate recommended by the committee should be approved by the General Director of Land Authority Department and endorsed by the minister of finance.
  3. The Land Authority Department invoices the ministry with the approved cost. The payment process is handled based on the financial regulations which require several reviewing process by the Ministry of Finance representative and the auditing bureau department.

9)The table below provides a timetable for the acquisition of the two aforementioned sites: As it is clear from the plan, the two sites will be acquired and registered before the start of ERfKE II project.

Site / Announcement for Acquisition / Approval from the Prime Ministry / Cost estimate by the established committee / Payment and registration of the land
Zarqa / Feb 2009 / March 2009 / April 2009 / May 2009
North Ghor / Feb 2009 / March 2009 / April 2009 / May 2009

Page 1 of 5