The Saudi Fund for Development granted Jordan on Thursday a concessional loan of $50 million to support the establishment of new public schools across the country, as part of Riyadh’s commitments to Amman during the Makkah summit.
The grant was signed by Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Mohammad Ississ and SFD Vice President and Managing Director Khalid Bin Sulaiman Al Khudairi, in the presence of Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Prince Khaled Bin Faisal Bin Turki and Minister of Education Walid Maani.
Ississ voiced appreciation to Saudi Arabia on its constant support to Jordan.
“We are hopeful that this loan will contribute to minimizing the pressure on the education and health services,” he said.
The grant will be used for building new public schools across Jordan.
“We have strong bilateral ties and an exceptional relationship with Saudi Arabia that was embedded and strengthened by efforts exerted by His Majesty King Abdullah and his brother King Salman bin Abdulaziz,” Ississ said following the signing ceremony.
Under the Makkah summit pledges, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE agreed to provide a $2.5-billion economic aid package to Jordan over the coming five years.
For his part, Khudairi stressed that the grant is a clear expression of the strong ties between the Saudi and Jordanian people.
“We are hopeful that this project will have a direct impact on improving education services in Jordan,” he said.
The aid will be in the form of deposits at the Jordanian Central Bank.
Jordan’s Education Minister said that one of the grant’s goals is to increase the quality and efficiency of education in Jordan by building schools and developing their infrastructure.
Maani noted that the ministry had to rent schools in the last few years to meet increasing demands from Syrian refugees.
“This grant came at the right time,” he said.
