I still remember the striking statements of the Swedish Minister of Education, who called for a return to traditional reading and writing methods in primary schools because she noticed a decline in students’ literacy skills.

I also recall the shocking report indicating that a number of students in Jordan, even at advanced levels such as tenth grade, do not know how to read or write.

Should we stop the excessive reliance on technology in education, or should we balance modern methods with traditional ones?

The story begins with deepening the “sandwich” culture, where the student stuffs all kinds of food into a sandwich and eats it on the way or during recess instead of sitting at the table to enjoy breakfast slowly, with variety and calmness!

This reflects the speed that leads to superficiality, while the other reflects absorbing knowledge deeply and diversely.

I do not claim that excessive reliance on search engines in education and research is harmful, but research tools that encourage students to browse and perhaps read dozens of books and references to extract a result seem like a deeper, more conscious, and cultured educational process, not to mention mastering correct reading and writing.

As for education spending, when it is said that the average spending on education annually constitutes 12.2% of the budget and about 8.3% of the GDP, it comes to mind that this is sufficient spending, and some consider it large, but the truth is otherwise!

The reason is that salaries, for example, consume 93% of the Ministry of Education’s budget, and only 5% goes to goods and services, which means spending on development and the educational environment is meager.

The impression that education, both basic and higher, has declined may seem true when we notice the results: students prefer multiple-choice exams instead of stimulating thinking in answers.

There is an abundance of universities, and perhaps this is one of the most negative influences that pushed students toward academic studies, most of which are far from market needs, at the expense of the vocational direction that also now requires university studies.

Owning libraries at home has become a bad habit compared to the pride in racing to own the latest types of smartphones.