The government's good intentions in the area of education contended with straitened financial circumstances, a rapidly changing labor force, and the demographic problem of a youthful population (53 % of the population was below the age of fifteen in 1988). Nevertheless, remarkable progress had been made in various spheres. Education has been a stated priority of the government for a number of years. In 1986 government expenditures on education were 12.2 % of the national budget. Education has become widely available, although some observers have questioned both the quality of the instruction and the appropriateness of the curriculum to the economy's requirements. Recognizing the need to supply training more suited to realistic employment prospects and to improve the level of teacher training, the government was continuing to strengthen vocational and technical education and to offer in-service training for its teachers.

Public education is free and compulsory between the ages of 6 and 15. At the secondary level, about 80 % of the male children and 78 % of the female children go to school. Some 100 % of the Jordanian population age 15 or older was literate in 2001.