The World Bank Group approved Monday two new programs aimed at strengthening Jordan's human capital through targeted investments in education, health and social assistance, and promoting the resilience of Jordanian households.
With a combined financing of USD 700 million, the Jordan Human Capital Program and the Jordan: Modernizing Education, Skills, and Administrative Reforms (MASAR) Program, aim to drive sustainable and inclusive growth, enhance education quality, and better equip the youth with the skills needed for the jobs of the future, the World Bank said in a press release.
"To achieve its development ambitions, Jordan will need to harness its greatest potential asset - its human capital, particularly its youth and women," said Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank Country Director for the Middle East Department.
"By further investing in education, health, and social protection, Jordan can strengthen the resilience of its economy and make it more inclusive. These efforts will ensure that the young population, particularly women and the most vulnerable, can fully participate in and benefit from the Kingdom's growth and development." The World Bank pointed out that over the past years, Jordan's resilience in an increasingly volatile region has been commendable, but external shocks have impacted economic growth and job creation, and hampered progress in tackling pressing socio-economic challenges.
With over 66 percent of its population under 30, Jordan has a unique opportunity to benefit from its demographic dividend for development and growth.
Yet gaps remain in education access, particularly for early childhood education, further investments are needed to improve education quality, and to revitalize and expand technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for future jobs.
The high prevalence of risk factors such as smoking, and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases lead to increased morbidity, reduced productivity, and lower job market participation.
Despite the impressive progress made by the government of Jordan in expanding its Social Protection programs, particularly non-contributory programs such as the cash transfer program, significant coverage gaps remain in the social protection system, with a third of Jordanian workers still lacking access to social security. (end) amm.ibi

All KUNA right are reserved © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).