Khaberni - Written by Prof. Bassam Al-Shakhrit:
Let's start with the question many fear and avoid asking openly:
Does our education system teach our children how to think, or how to memorize?
The answer goes beyond merely criticizing a test or a curriculum; it is a criticism of an entire system that has entrenched an educational culture that sanctifies repetition and marginalizes deep understanding and practical application.
• The high school exam: More a result than a cause
Many rush to blame the high school exam alone, but in truth, it is just a reflection of a deep illness at the core of Jordanian education. The school teaches the student one rule:
Memorize to succeed… and avoid mistakes to excel.
This mentality is entrenched from the early grades: in science, students are required to memorize equations without understanding how to apply them, and in Arabic, students are evaluated on repeating texts without any analysis or connection to real-life practice.
The system does not ask: What is the value of knowledge? It merely asks: Was it safely retrieved?
• The "excellent" student… a definition in need of reevaluation
The so-called excellent student is often quiet, obedient, and precise in repetition. But the creative or inquisitive ones? They are often seen as those who "disrupt the system" or "waste class time."
Here lies the irony: a student’s excellence is not measured by their ability to understand or create, but by how well they can avoid mistakes while memorizing.
• University: A workshop of ideas or a factory for duplication?
Some believe that the university will correct what the school has damaged, but reality is often different. Many lectures are based on rote learning, exams measure the ability to recall not analyze, and research is evaluated more on form than substance.
The result: university graduates face a clear gap between what they have learned and what the job market demands; analytical and practical skills are weak, while memorization and repetition abilities remain strong.
• In the age of artificial intelligence… What is the value of rote learning?
We live in a time where knowledge is available at the push of a button, where artificial intelligence can explain, analyze, and compare in seconds.
The pressing question: What is the real value of a system that measures a student’s ability to repeat information that any digital device can retrieve?
True education should focus on critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, not just on training students to store information.
• Rote learning: The illusion of success… and the real failure
Rote learning is marketed as a way to control the class, reduce questions, and produce “compliant” students, but in reality, it is a false safety valve for a failing system. It turns the student's mind into an information retrieval machine, without thinking, without criticism, without creativity.
Today's world does not need those who memorize the answers, but those who invent solutions, analyze problems, and form new ideas. Every minute spent in rote learning is a minute that robs the student of the opportunity to become a thinker, producer, and capable of facing the complexities of the age.
The educational system that celebrates success on paper and punishes creativity is the system that prepares us for failure before we even begin.
• International facts support the critique of the education system
1. Jordan’s performance in PISA exams reveals a real educational gap
The PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) exam is a global standard that measures the skills of 15-year-old students in reading, math, and science, focusing on critical thinking and problem-solving, not mere rote memorization.
Results from 2022 indicate that Jordanian students show a clear weakness in creative thinking, scoring about 20 out of 60 points compared to an OECD average of 33 points, reflecting a real deficiency in advanced thinking skills.
Furthermore, the percentage of Jordanian students who reached the highest levels of creativity (Levels 5 and 6) did not exceed 6%, compared to 27% as an OECD average, while most students failed to achieve the basic level required to develop creativity.
2. Jordan ranks low globally and highlights severe educational challenges
PISA 2022 statistics showed that Jordan ranked 75 out of 81 countries in core areas: reading, mathematics, and science, recording a noticeable decline compared to previous rounds, revealing significant challenges in understanding and analytical skills.
For example, in reading, the average score of Jordanian students is much lower than the global average, reflecting a clear weakness in their ability to comprehend, understand, and analyze texts.
3. The gap between memorization and understanding leads to a noticeable weakness in essential skills
The PISA exam focuses on the students' ability to apply knowledge in new contexts, not just retrieve memorized information. The results indicate that the questions requiring critical thinking and problem-solving were the hardest for Jordanian students, highlighting that the education system still emphasizes traditional memorization over deep understanding and practical application, hindering the development of essential skills necessary for academic and future success.
Why is PISA important?
Exams like PISA focus not just on the number of points, but on measuring how prepared education systems are to equip a generation capable of critical thinking, innovation, and effective contribution to the contemporary economy.
Poor results do not mean that students are incapable of learning or achieving, but indicate that the current educational system does not foster high competencies in thinking and problem-solving—skills that countries need to ensure a sustainable economic and knowledge future.
• What does Jordan actually need?
Jordan needs to restructure the education culture itself, not only reinforce memorization and rote learning. This requires several fundamental axes:
1. Exams that measure real understanding: Design questions that allow for creativity and interpretation, instead of focusing solely on memorization.
2. A new role for the teacher: Transitioning from being a mere transmitter of information to facilitating dialogue and thinking, encouraging questioning and constructive criticism among students.
3. Active learning: Adopting group projects, realistic simulations, and practical activities that move students from the realm of memorization to the world of innovation and practical experience.
4. Smart technology: Employing tools like artificial intelligence to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving, not to replace the role of the student or teacher.
5. Continuous and effective assessment: Measuring skills in analysis and creativity and linking the results to developmental reports to continuously improve curricula.
This analysis can be enhanced by comparing Jordan with Arab countries or countries with successful educational reform systems like Finland and Singapore, where curriculum changes and teaching methods have shown positive effects in improving the quality of educational outcomes and preparing students for future demands.
• Conclusion
If our education system continues to focus on memorization rather than deep understanding and application, then education will become just an adaptation to a limited reality that does not fit our children's future.
The fundamental question is no longer: How much have students memorized?
But rather: How do they think? How do they create? And how can they contribute to changing the world?
