Queen Rania Honors 77 Schools for Receiving National School Health Standards Accreditation

(Office of Her Majesty- Press Department- Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania honored today a group of schools that received accreditation for the years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 by the National School Health Standards program which is run by the Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS) in partnership with the ministries of Health and Education.

In a speech by Her Majesty during the ceremony which was held in the Royal Cultural Center, the Queen asserted that “this accreditation is not a reward but a medal and a certificate for exceeding expectations, and for providing the best for your family at school and for the students, as you would for your own children at home.”

Her Majesty added “I am full with pride at the size of the success attained thus far by this initiative and by the achievement of schools partaking in this program in cooperation with the two ministries of Health and Education and the Royal Health and Awareness Society.”

Her Majesty recognized all those who participated in making the program a success, thanking school principals, teachers, volunteering students, school staff members, and parents from the community. Her Majesty pointed out some of the successes achieved through the hard work and patience of all participants, such as the decrease in school dropout rates and violence amongst participating schools, the positive influence reflected in students’ grades attending these schools, and an increase in health awareness amongst students.

Her Majesty handed out 77 certificates of accreditation to the schools of which 20 were gold accreditation certificates, 21 silver, and 36 bronze.

During the ceremony, which was under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, the Minister of Education, H.E Mohammad Thneibat highlighted that ‘this generous patronage reasserts the importance of education and health to the Hashemite leadership as these two sectors have received special attention and formed an integral part of royal initiatives and government plans aiming to develop citizens’ intellect and health and to drive individuals to adopt noble values that Jordanians were raised to uphold.”

He added “the Royal Health and Awareness Society has uniquely contributed to the efforts of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education through establishing safe and healthy educational environments.”

Royal Health and Awareness Society’s Director, Ms. Enaam Barishi reasserted the immense efforts put in by the schools stating that “the program requires a lot of work; the participation of management, the students, and the staff. We all know the importance of the noble message held up on the shoulders of our teachers.”

The ceremony was also attended by Minister of Environment and Acting Minister of Health H.E Taher Shakhshir, Dr. Rami Farraj, Chairman of the Board of Directors of RHAS, Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Sattam Al Awwad, and Royal Cultural Center Director, Mohammad Abu Sumaqa.

The National School Health Standard program, carried out in the partnership of the Royal Health Awareness Society and the ministries of Education and Health, aims to establish and promote healthy practices in school environments throughout the Kingdom. 200 schools have participated in this project since its launch in 2008, 115 of which have received accreditation. 300 health education teachers and 200 principals partook in capacity building and training programs. As well, 150 volunteers and ambassadors were trained in nursing colleges to help implement healthy practices in participating schools.

The accreditation standards focus on school leadership and management, a safe, healthy, and clean school environment, health education and awareness, school staff and local community participation, medical services offered to students and teachers, guidance and mental health services, nutrition, and physical exercise.