The children

Early Years

Early Years

Primary School Years

Primary School Years

Adolescence

Adolescence

The areas are: planning and management, legislation, ante-natal health care, health services from birth up to eight years, child care in nurseries, child care in kindergartens, child care in the lower primary schools, family role in child development, children with special needs, curricula and programmes, children’s cultural and recreational environments, advocacy and communications, human resources development, and social protection. 

Government and NGO representatives endorsed the strategy at a conference held in 2000. In defining key areas of intervention, the strategy also calls for an institutional structure that could oversee an integrated approach to ECD. Such a structure would co-ordinate the work of the various agencies and NGOs and private sector organisations involved in the provision of ECD services.
 
Jordan’s level of Infant Mortality Rate ( IMR ) ranks among the lowest in the Middle East and North Africa Region.  The low incidence of infant and under five mortalities make it difficult to have very accurate measures of IMR and U5MR. According to Jordan’s End Decade Report, December 2000, and between 1990 and 1999, IMR fell from 34 to 26 per 1,000 live births (M/F 26.8/25), while under five mortality rate ( U5MR ) fell from 39 to 31 per 1,000 live births ( M/F 33/30 ).

In the year 2000, immunisation coverage among children under one year remain over 90% for polio, DPT, and measles according to Ministry of Health records. The following, in order of introduction into the national Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI), are the diseases included in a child immunisation schedule: Polio, DPT, Measles, Hepatitis B, MMR, and Hib vaccines. The country has been free from polio since 1995, and vigilant polio national immunization campaigns have been implemented yearly to protect against the transmission of the virus from neighbouring infected countries.The BCG vaccine, previously administered at school entry, (as per WHO recommendations) is since the year 2000 included in the immunization schedule for under-one-year-old children. The country has been free from polio since 1995, and vigilant polio national immunization campaigns have been implemented yearly to protect against the transmission of the virus from neighbouring infected countries.

There are limited figures, but Acute Respiratory Infection ( ARI ),  is considered by health officials as the leading cause of death among infants in Jordan and the second leading cause of death among children between 1 and 5 years of age. According to the DHS97 survey, the percentage of children with ARI was 10.2%. It is widely believed that the current death registry system is not capable of capturing all child deaths due to ARI. Hospital based studies have shown that up to 40% of the outpatient clinic visits among children 0-5 years are due to ARI and that 30% of all admissions in paediatric wards are ARI related.  In the year 2000, the Ministry of Health introduced the BCG vaccine at one month of age (instead of at school entry), in addition to the introduction of the HIB vaccine. These two vaccines contribute to a large extent in the reduction of ARI related diseases, such as Tuberculosis, Pneumonia, and Meningitis.

An assessment of the quality of the time children spend in KGs conducted by the Ministry of Education in 1996 followed by another qualitative research in 2000  (Takween for Education and Drama), sited various areas of concern in the quality of the care received in KGs in the country. Main areas of concern include the high teacher to child ratio which exceeds 1:25; the lack of adequately trained teachers (half had not received any training), and the concentration on teaching young children numbers and literacy at the expense of nurturing their skills and using drama, songs and learning through play.