Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania Al Abdullah on Wednesday received top General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) achievers for the 2016-2017 scholastic year at Al Husseiniya Palace.

King Abdullah congratulated the students on their success, expressing pride in the efforts of educators to enhance the learning process.

His Majesty stressed that Jordan’s future is in good hands, thanks to the precious resource of young, ambitious, and persistent innovators.

Efforts to develop human resources will continue to be geared towards enabling young Jordanians to fulfil their potential and achieve their aspirations academically and professionally, the King added.

Their Majesties spoke to the students about their academic life and their ambitions for the future.

The students expressed their delight over meeting Their Majesties, voicing appreciation for this support for top achievers from around the Kingdom.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, Education Minister Omar Razzaz, and Royal Hashemite Court Secretary General Yousef Issawi attended the meeting.

In remarks to the press, Razzaz said the meeting is a message to society on the importance of supporting top students, noting that Their Majesties met with students from academic and vocational streams, which are both important for the labour market.

The ministry, he added, will consider labour market needs when developing curricula, training teachers, calculating Tawjihi scores, and setting university admission criteria.

Efforts to develop education are ongoing, based on the Seventh Discussion Paper by His Majesty, as well as the National Strategy for Human Resources Development, which is being gradually implemented, Razzaz continued.

In interviews after the meeting, the students thanked Their Majesties for taking the time to meet with them, and expressed their enthusiasm to continue their education.

They said their academic achievements are due to the support of their families and teachers, and their desire to excel academically and professionally.