General Secretariat for the Christian Educational Foundations (GSCEF) in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Father Dr. Riyad Hijazeen,

Secretary General, GSCEF

The General Secretariat for the Christian Educational Foundations in the H. K. of Jordan, (GSCEF), is a non-profit non-governmental (NGO), private ecclesiastical educational foundation, which assembles and represents the Christian educational foundations and schools in Jordan. (The picture on Jordan on this web site is the baptismal site. It is the place where Jordanian Christians go to pray and visit, in memory of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Holy Jordan River.)

The GSCEF was founded in 1990 at the initiative of the Jerusalem Latin Patriarch, His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, and the Amman three bishops: the Greek Catholic Melchite, Latin, and Armenian Orthodox. Generally speaking, The GSCEF represents the Christian schools. Membership is open to all Christian schools. Thus, the GSCEF has an ecumenical nature that expresses the desire of the faithful to meet and work together in the educational field.

The history of the Christian schools in Jordan dates back to the Ottoman era, or the second half of the nineteenth century, before the establishment of the State of Jordan. At that time, the Latin Patriarchate opened schools alongside churches. Ever since they were opened, these schools were national schools that accepted Christian and Muslim students on equal footing. These schools paid special attention to Christian education and Arabic. The Christian schools prospered in the twentieth century. The Greek Catholic Melchite, the Armenian Orthodox, and the religious congregations opened several of these schools. These schools combined constitute the General Secretariat as it stands today.

The General Secretariat stems from the Council of the Bishops of Amman, the capital of Jordan. It seeks to coordinate the functions of the schools and their representation at the Jordanian Ministry of Education. The General Secretariat also seeks to upgrade the educational process in accordance with the national Jordanian educational policy and the vision of the Church.

The General Secretariat is a member of the Regional General Secretariat of the Catholic schools in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The headquarters of MENA is Beirut, Lebanon. The GSCEF is also a member of the Catholic International Education Office (OIEC), which has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. The GSCEF maintains educational and co-operative relations with the Secrétariat de Solidarité pour les Ecoles et les Institutions Cahtoliques, which is based in Jerusalem..

For more details, will you please access the following website:

General Secretariat for the Christian Educational Foundations