For years, the Jordanian education system has suffered from a clear lack of stability in its school and university calendars. The start and end dates of the academic year, exam periods and official holidays differ between schools and universities, making it difficult for Jordanian families, university faculty members, and even students themselves to organise their academic, social and economic lives in a stable manner.

 

This scheduling confusion is not merely a simple administrative problem; rather, it reflects the absence of a comprehensive, integrated vision for the education system as a single, interconnected system, beginning with basic education and culminating in higher education. In contrast, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have largely succeeded in unifying their school and university calendars, or at least achieving a high degree of harmony between them. This reduces confusion, enhances efficiency, and provides stability for the entire educational community.

 

The discrepancy between the two calendars in Jordan creates a series of accumulating negative effects. From the perspective of families, those with children in school and others in university face a constant state of confusion when it comes to organizing vacations, travel, family obligations, and even managing expenses. The school year and holidays often overlap in a disjointed manner, depriving families of shared rest periods and making advance planning nearly impossible.

 

For university faculty members with school-aged children, balancing their academic and educational responsibilities becomes a daunting challenge, especially when university exams coincide with the start of the school year or with periods when children require intensive support and supervision. Students themselves are psychologically and behaviorally affected by the irregular annual rhythm, as the transition between study and rest becomes unclear, and they miss out on opportunities to make the most of holidays for self-development, training, or even genuine relaxation.

 

Conversely, unifying the two academic calendars, or at least significantly coordinating them, offers a number of fundamental advantages. It enhances the psychological and social stability of the family and gives students a clear sense of a regular time cycle, which positively impacts motivation and discipline. It also allows universities and schools to jointly plan national activities, volunteer programs, summer courses, and practical training within a clear and shared timeframe, rather than operating in separate, isolated areas. Furthermore, a unified calendar contributes to more efficient resource utilization, whether educational facilities, human resources, or even transportation and student housing services, as peak and off-peak periods become more predictable and manageable.

 

The question remains: why does this model succeed in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries but prove difficult to implement in Jordan? A significant part of the answer lies in the nature of educational decision-making and its institutional mechanisms. In many GCC countries, education is treated as a unified and integrated strategic portfolio, subject to long-term central planning. Decisions are based on forward-looking studies, clear performance indicators, and a systematic assessment of the socioeconomic impacts of any changes in educational policies.

 

These countries also possess greater financial and structural flexibility, enabling them to rapidly modernize infrastructure, seamlessly adapt administrative and legislative systems, and provide transitional alternatives when needed without causing widespread disruption within the educational community. In Jordan, on the other hand, decisions regarding school and university calendars are often made piecemeal among multiple entities, under immediate pressures related to short-term considerations, without a unified national framework to coordinate these different parties or balance educational, social, and economic needs within a long-term vision. This makes any attempt at unification more complex and less sustainable.

 

However, advocating for the unification of the two calendars does not mean ignoring the real challenges that may accompany such an approach. There are genuine differences in the nature of school and university education, in students' needs, in the requirements for academic accreditation, and in the practical training periods for some specializations. However, these differences do not justify the current scheduling chaos. Rather, they necessitate a flexible and intelligent solution based on the principle of harmony, not literal conformity. This means building a unified national calendar in its broad outlines, while allowing for limited flexibility according to the specific characteristics of each stage or specialisation.

 

The continued instability of the two calendars is not merely an administrative inconvenience; it is a silent social, psychological, and economic drain, the price of which is paid by students, families, and teachers alike, without this cost being measured or seriously considered in decision-making. It wastes individuals' time, weakens their ability to plan for the long term, and creates a constant state of confusion and uncertainty, negatively impacting the quality of learning, students' mental health, and the cohesion of family life.

 

Given the economic and social challenges facing Jordan today, including unemployment, rising living costs, and dwindling resources, it is no longer acceptable to treat the educational calendar as a secondary or peripheral matter. Instead, it must be viewed as a national organizational tool that directly impacts citizens' daily lives, affects the efficiency of institutions, and erodes public trust in the education system as a whole.

 

Unifying the school and university calendars, or at least coordinating them within a clear national vision, is not a mere organizational luxury or administrative indulgence, but a necessary reform step toward a more coherent, equitable, and efficient education system, and toward a society better equipped to manage its life, make the most of its time, and plan for its future with confidence and stability.

 

Hasan Dajah is Professor of Strategic Studies at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University