Second chances for at-risk youth in Jordan: education, a job, and a future

The Problem:

Every hour a Jordanian child drops out of school—having to work in order to survive or because of school failure, bullying, or other reasons.   There are now approximately 100,000 dropouts under age 16 in Jordan.  Many children in Jordan who fled Iraq or other countries are out of school as well.

Lack of education closes doors to vocational opportunities, keeps families in poverty, and leaves children exposed to the destructive forces of alienation, violence, and extremism.

The Questscope Difference:

Questscope’s Non-Formal Education (NFE) programs offer an alternative path to an education, a job, and a future for those who have dropped out the formal education system.

In 2000, two 14-year-old boys, who had dropped out of school in third grade, asked Questscope’s Director to help them get vocational training.  The boys’ experiences on the street were not helping them to build a future.  They could not enter vocational training without 10th grade educational certification, and could not re-enter school because they had been out too long.  No second chances for kids like these.

Since that day—working in partnership with Jordan’s Ministry of Education and many community partners—Questscope has developed an alternative educational program in Jordan that the two boys, and 7,000 boys and girls like them, have benefitted from.  Questscope has trained hundreds of teacher-facilitators to lead Questscope NFE classes in 60 areas of Jordan, using highly effective participatory learning methods.

Boys and girls with some education, as well as those who cannot read and write, can now complete Jordan’s 10th-grade educational requirements in 24 months through this accelerated learning.  Other parts of the program include mentoring for the youth involved, strong peer support, other developmental activities, and links to vocational options.

Students graduating from Questscope’s NFE program can now enter Jordan’s vocational training system, gain access to micro-enterprise loans to start a business, and can re-enter Jordan’s formal education system to access higher education.

Results:

• More than 7,000 youth have now benefited from this NFE program in Jordan.
   
• Evaluations show significant life-improvement for youth who participate:  reduced anti-social behavior, improved academic performance, stronger social connections, and  improved critical thinking.
   
• More than 400 teachers from Jordan’s formal education system have been trained in our NFE methods, bringing multiple benefits to the formal education system as well.

Partners: 

• The Ministry of Education, Amman Mayor’s Office, Vocational Training Corporation, and national Development and Employment Fund cooperate with Questscope in Jordan.
   
• Community-based organizations in each site are linked with hundreds of volunteers.
   
• Questscope donors for these efforts include interested individuals and development institutions such as the U.S. Department of Labor/CHF, U.S. State Department/MercyCorps, the European Union, and United Nations High Commission for Refugees.