Date: 18 August 2008
Title: His Majesty King Abdullah II's letter to students on the occasion of the new scholastic year, 2008-2009


In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate,

Prayers and peace upon the bright messenger of scholarship, our Prophet Mohammad, the honest Arab Prophet and the last prophet,

Greetings of affection and pride to our sons and daughters and our brothers and sisters in schools and learning institutions everywhere, and to members of the educational family in all Jordan's schools, institutes, colleges and universities.

We greet you, students yearning for learning and teachers, on the dawn of this new school year. We express our hope and confidence that this new school year will represent a step forward in the drive to develop, modernise and upgrade our education sector to the highest level.

In turn, we adhere to our pledge to the homeland and its sons and daughters to dedicate to the education sector our deepest attention and consider it our top priority, because it is maker of minds, the guardian of talent and the laboratory of innovation.

Our vision for education in Jordan and its future is based on the solid conviction that education is one of the state's fundamental responsibilities, particularly in terms of its quality and fairness.

Justice does not stop only at the provision of opportunities, but exceeds to seeking justice in the quality of these opportunities, so that our sons and daughters will attain a similar level of education that allows them fair competition on the basis of merit and efficiency and that enables them to sail through professional life with confidence, success and excellence.

This motivates us to work hard to provide a healthy educational environment, worthy of all Jordanians' keenness on learning and progress, where technical and technological needs and necessary scientific facilities are available to every educational institution, to guarantee a general education that is more interactive and more conducive to innovation.

Our ambition is this regard is focussed on redoubling efforts and expediting action to ensure that the Kingdom's schools become models in terms of student numbers, teacher efficiency and standard of facilities and services. It is also our aspiration that the homeland's universities, colleges and institutes will be transformed into beacons of scholarship and culture and continuous student activism.

We will also work to provide a stimulating and high level of vocational education to increase job opportunities for graduates, and guarantee them societal respect and new academic horizons. We will also double our efforts to universalise pre-school education so that kindergartens will be available throughout the country. We will support your teachers, who are the pillars of education, with all possible means, and in all the economic and social fields and fields of knowledge, so that their noble mission to arm students with scholarship and knowledge is upheld.

Chivalrous Sons and Daughters,

While renewing my greeting to you on the advent of this new school year, I look forward to meeting you soon in one of your schools, universities or institutes. I urge and advise you to love your country and schools, and to be proud of our Arab Islamic culture, and of the present, and be sure that your tomorrow will be better, because I believe that your hard work and your resolve are real and honest.

In your eyes, we see a more beautiful future, and with your hard work we will make the better future. You are the key to success. Your ambitions are the coming reality for Jordan, and your dreams are its coming bright moments. You are our nation's future trust, and we pledged to Almighty God to care for and protect it, with ultimate sincerity.

May God grant you success and protect you.
Peace, God's mercy and blessings be upon you,

Your brother,
Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein

Amman:
18 August 2008