In this instance, the Jordanian parliament has approved the 2026 Education and Human Resources Development Law, which should trigger us to rethink our educational system not just as an administrative system but an engine that will drive human development/competitiveness and social mobility. The law will support building a more integrated education system, link graduating students with the development needs of their country, enhance university autonomy, improve the employability of students in local and overseas labor markets.

 

At this point it is appropriate to ask a more profound question: What sort of educational experience will Jordan require in a time when artificial intelligence (AI) & Generative-AI (GenAI) are transforming the manner in which humans acquire knowledge, perform tasks, produce goods/services, and make choices ?

 

The revolution in education is going to involve a move away from providing a uniform experience in delivering education to providing every student with an individualized pathway for learning. With the assistance of AI, students will have the opportunity to progress through their education at different paces, receive real-time feedback on their performance, engage in practice using simulations and gain access to educational resources in Arabic and other languages on a much greater scale than was previously possible. Rather than being just a place where young adults go for one-time education, universities will be lifelong sources of education where former students can return periodically to enhance their skill set as jobs and technology change. The best education system of the future will be those that use both technology and human wisdom to educate: teachers who provide mentorship, students who ask questions, colleges/universities that provide innovative ways of facilitating learning, and a community that provides continuous funding for education as a national endeavor.

 

For a long period of time, every student around the world has had an education system (whether at school or at university) that has rewarded them for being able to remember, repeat and reproduce information. However, because of GenAI, students can now write summaries, generate code, translate text, create images, solve routine problems and conduct research in a matter of seconds. This doesn't reduce the importance of schools and universities; it actually makes them even more valuable; however, this will only happen if these institutions change from their traditional ways of teaching, assessing, and certifying students.

 

In Jordan, the problem isn't a lack of skilled workers; it is connecting the skilled workforce to the available jobs. According to the 2025 Supply and Demand Gap Analysis for Digital Skills in Jordan's ICT Sector, Jordan graduates approximately 11,960 digital workforce graduates each year; however, only 35-40 per cent of the graduates find relevant employment within 1 year of graduation. Employers are looking for employees who possess strong communication and teamwork skills as well as being flexible and adaptable in their work environments. Most of the current job openings are in the areas of application development, networking and security, and data and AI.

 

The results of these studies should be alarming for all the policy makers, school superintendents, university presidents and teachers involved in preparing students for postsecondary success after receiving a diploma. While there are many students who complete their degree programs, they do not have the hands-on experience, the digital confidence, the ability to solve problems and the professional attitude that are necessary to be successful in an AI-based economy. If education reform does not occur more rapidly, practically and with a greater connection to the real world; this gap will continue to increase over time.

 

There is a clear indication worldwide about AI proficiency. According to the Coursera Job Skills Report 2026, AI proficiency is no longer confined to technical roles. Enrolments of enterprise learners in GenAI have increased by 234 per cent year over year; therefore, critical thinking, responsible AI, information privacy, and cybersecurity will become increasingly critical skills in our workplaces. As such, students from Jordan in engineering, medicine, education, business, law, agriculture, the humanities, and public administration will require AI literacy — not as an elective, but as a fundamental skill.

 

For higher education institutions to maximize the potential use of AI, they need not see AI as just a danger to academic integrity anymore; though cheating and its misapplication are a huge concern, a larger issue will be for universities to ban, ignore or only briefly implement GenAI while the job market progresses. Coursera's strategic framework on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in higher education recommends that institutions integrate GenAI into their curriculum across all academic disciplines, provide training for faculty to use AI effectively, create an ethical framework on the responsible use of AI, and develop partnerships between industry and academia. Furthermore, the report indicates that 70 per cent of recent graduates think there should be basic GenAI training as a requirement of their degree. The report also indicates that 53 per cent of the same group of students currently use the technology for their class work.

 

There is a need for a new philosophy of how we teach at school. Rather than telling kids to simply remember answers, we should instead ask them to investigate problems, conduct experiments, defend their ideas, help each other solve problems as a group, etc. An updated version of Bloom’s Taxonomy in the age of AI shows that GenAI will be able to assist in recalling information, understanding concepts, analyzing data and creating new things; while the unique contribution made by humans will include judgment, ethics, lived experience, creativity, and reflection.

 

The change should have a real-world / national function (rather than a theoretical function). All students need to apply their knowledge and also engage appropriately with AI while trying to solve national issues (e.g., water shortages, energy efficiency, smart farming, health care, traffic, tourism, digital Arabic materials, cybersecurity, equitable education, etc.) in each student's individual market area. The classroom needs to be equipped to allow students to practice solving applied national issues.

 

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Jordan National Report 2024/2025 shows significant momentum in entrepreneurship; with an increase of 34 per cent in early-stage entrepreneurial activity between 2023 and 2024, the proportion of women in early-stage entrepreneurship increased from 11 per cent to 20 per cent, and 60 per cent of the entrepreneurs at an early-stage were aged 34 or younger. However, the report also identifies the need for increased quality of entrepreneurial education, transfer of R&D, and practical skill development.

 

Therefore, the ultimate purpose of education reform is to train graduates to develop and launch new businesses, produce and sell new ideas and products, and contribute to their local and the wider international economy through creating and participating in global and regional supply chains. By using AI, Jordanian youth can transition from being consumers of technology into being those who are creating innovative new technologies for the future.

 

To achieve this, Jordan needs several urgent actions.

 

The first change related to the introduction of AI literacy into school and university programs is to offer classes that are age-appropriate with respect to data, algorithms, GenAI (e.g., chatbots), computer security and ethical use of technology.

 

Second, the way we assess students also needs to change. Reliance on exams that measure rote memory and memorization will become increasingly meaningless to measure a student’s abilities. Students should instead be evaluated through the use of projects, portfolios, oral presentations, community involvement, prototypes, simulations, research papers and group projects.

 

The third change is that all post-secondary education programs need to have structured work-integrated learning opportunities included as part of their degree requirements, such as internships, industry projects, entrepreneurship labs and micro-credentials.

 

Fourth, a fundamental component of any educational reform is support for teachers and post-secondary faculty members; without providing training, time to prepare, tools to use and incentive to adapt their methods of teaching, there will be no chance for successful education reforms. Investment by both the federal and state governments in teacher professional development must align with the promises of the new legislation.

 

Finally, reform should not stop at just the city of Amman and should include providing adequate digital infrastructure, AI laboratories, innovation hubs and partnerships throughout the governorates of Maa’n, Karak, Tafileh, Mafraq, Ajloun, Jarash and surrounding areas to provide an equal opportunity for the local talent pool to obtain future employment.

 

The approval of the Education and Human Resources Development Law could be more than just an administration milestone; it could also be used as a new social contract among education, youth and the economy.

 

Jordan requires more than a graduating education system. It requires a system that develops critical, creative thinkers, innovative skills, ethically responsible users of AI, entrepreneurial spirit, research-oriented individuals, and lifelong learners.

 

During the time of AI, no matter how much people may dislike machines or their capabilities, we will find success if we learn how to merge technology with the use of our intellect, and that there are places such as Jordan where there exists much of this talent. Our next challenge is to create an education system for Jordan's youth that will nurture and develop this talent.

 

 

Mwaffaq Otoom, Former Vice President at Yarmouk University, Jordan