King donates JD2 million for teachers’ housing project - Jordan
Filed Under Curt Flood | Posted on December 14, 2007
(MENAFN - Jordan Times) ZARQA - His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday donated JD2 million for the Teachers’ Housing Project, while the private sector contributed JD8 million to the scheme, which seeks to make it easier for the country’s teachers to own their own homes.The Monarch launched the project in September 2006 and donated JD2 million to the Ministry of Education’s housing and social security funds. In addition, private and corporate donations to the two funds totalled JD8 million last year.The project envisions the construction of housing units across the country, to be built on land donated by King Abdullah under a Royal Makruma. The target is to complete 5,000 units a year.During a meeting yesterday, attended by education officials, teachers and private sector representatives, King Abdullah voiced his support for the project.”I am aware of the conditions of teachers and the challenges they face, but I want to assure you that you have my full support,” the Monarch said, adding that teachers play a significant role in building future generations.Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khalid Touqan, who gave a presentation about the project, said a total of 13 areas across the Kingdom have been selected for the construction of housing units, noting that some 80,000 teachers will benefit from the project over the coming 10 years.The price of the housing units range from JD26,000 to JD35,000, Touqan said, adding that the apartments will be 120, 140 and 160 square metres in area.Under the project’s first phase, 700 units will be built in Aqaba, 520 in Karak Governorate and 1,200 in Zarqa Governorate, according to Touqan, who said the designs for the units were ready and construction would start as soon as possible.Other phases will cover the rest of the Kingdom to benefit all teachers in the country, he added. Ministry of Education figures place the number of teachers in the country at 59,000, while the total number of teachers graduating from all specialties ranges between 3,000 and 4,000 annually.Teachers interested in purchasing a unit must apply to the Education Ministry. They will be required to make a down payment of JD5,000 and pay the rest in instalments over a mortgage period of up to 30 years, which will be set by the ministry and Tameer Jordan, the construction firm selected to implement the project.Teachers who cannot afford the down payment can apply to the Social Security Fund to finance the first outlay, according to Touqan.Also yesterday, Touqan said the donations from King Abdullah and the private sector will help accelerate the implementation of the project, as the ministry’s housing and security funds suffer from a shortage of financial resources.According to the education minister, the housing fund’s sole source of income is a deduction of 5 per cent of teachers’ salaries, while the only source of finance to the ministry’s security fund is a 6 per cent deduction from their wages, in addiction to small deductions from salaries of teachers sent to work abroad.Teachers present at yesterday’s meeting said the donations from the Monarch and the private sector would help facilitate and speed up the process of owning their own homes.”I have been working as a teacher for the past 18 years and had lost hope that I would benefit from the housing fund, because it suffered an acute shortage of financial resources. However, the donation from the King and the private sector helped revive the fund and gave us hope that we will own a house one day,” Khawla Maaiah, a geography teacher, told The Jordan Times.”The ministry told us that we will be covered by the project?as soon as the project starts I will apply for a loan from the housing fund to buy my own home,” said the mother of five, who rents a house in Madaba for JD130 a month.Another teacher, Rima Abu Karaki, also pays JD130 per month for a rented house in Zarqa”I applied for a housing loan back in 1992, but nothing happened. Now, with the King’s support to the fund, I am sure I will be able to get a loan and buy one of the houses that will be built soon,” said Abu Karaki, who has been teaching for 14 years.
Tags: 18 years, donations, future generations, instalment, targetRelated posts
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