Alla Jarar, founder and executive director of JA Academy and an engineer, mentioned that utilizing artificial intelligence technologies in education has helped identify the challenges faced by students and the educational process as a whole. He explained that the educational approach tailored to all students enables us to harness the potentials and skills each student possesses, along with their knowledge wealth, using available technological tools.
In an interview with the Jordan News Agency “Petra,” he stated that both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Digital Economy lead the project of electronic modernization and transition to the digital era in the Jordanian education system. He pointed out a distinguished level of cooperation and integration between the two ministries in elevating the education standards, integrating technological solutions within teaching methods, and adding the electronic system to the conventional educational system.
He noted that students now have access to the same study materials regardless of their location or schools; academic materials are now equally available to everyone.
He mentioned the increased level of collaboration with academic institutions, particularly with Al-Hussein University of Technology, where partnerships have been established to benefit from their capabilities and knowledge in the fields of artificial intelligence and harnessing it in the educational process, relying on the university professors and students’ potentials. He also mentioned signing a similar agreement with Yarmouk University to engage with technology issues and leverage artificial intelligence and computing in general.
He stated, “We did not face issues related to Jordanian legislation, as we learned about a new system that will be implemented for distance learning, and we understand the necessity of this system and are ready to comply with all its conditions and standards, especially as it is designed to contribute to improving the educational process.”
He revealed that the educational platform “JA Academy,” established ten years ago, has succeeded in achieving tremendous success locally and regionally. He explained that the total number of students enrolled in the platform has reached approximately one million and 636 thousand students. The platform stands out with active daily interaction with over 100 thousand students, serving all age groups from the first year of basic education to secondary education.
He clarified that the number of teachers working on the educational platform ranges between 450 and 500 teachers, in addition to offering over 70 university courses covering various subjects targeting university students in fields such as medicine, pharmacy, and nursing, currently provided through this platform.
He mentioned that the platform has achieved significant developments, including providing the option of online education for students, an option that was not available a decade ago. He added that students in schools and universities now consider online education as one of the primary sources they can benefit from in their learning process.
He believes that the COVID-19 pandemic had severe impacts but also led to transformations in some social behaviors, including in the field of education at all levels, shifting the teaching and learning methods for students.
He emphasized that students who previously relied on limited educational resources now use platforms that provide them with modern educational resources integrating digital technologies with educational methods.
He mentioned that the system was established based on artificial intelligence and a group of designers and programmers, numbering more than 70 programmers, with the aim of incorporating the latest technologies to enhance and develop the education path as seen today.
He pointed out that the platforms played a role in mitigating the losses that affected the private education sector due to the repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis, as more than two hundred thousand students shifted from private schools to the public sector, representing an increase exceeding thirty percent of the total school students.
