The Buṣeirā Amiriyah School in the Period of the Emirate of Transjordan: A Study of the School Records

Abstract

This study identifies the history of the Buṣeirā Amiriyah School during the period of the Emirate of Transjordan based on dozens of school registers from the school and neighboring schools; the archives of the Jordanian Ministry of Education; the educational administration report of 1934; and other sources. The records have been studied and analyzed so that they can be used as an important source for the history of modern Jordan. The study describes the school and its facilities; administrative and financial issues; the affairs of the teachers and students; and the school’s curricula and textbooks. Results of the study show that education in the village of Buṣeirā at that time was somewhat advanced, but the poor economic conditions in the village prevented more advancement. The most prominent problems were the insufficient number of teachers and their low educational level, as well as the inability of the students to have enough time to study because they had to help their families, which led to many cases of them leaving the school.