The country of Jordan is surrounded by wars, extremism and violence. The Syrian refugee crisis is one of the biggest challenges that we’ve faced, and it’s affected the educational system so much. It’s led to overcrowding in schools, with some classrooms reaching 60 to 70 students, which, of course, can leave teachers frustrated, stressed and overworked.

But in these times, we all work together to make things as easy as possible. My team of teachers are passionate and committed, and our local community does much to support our school.

We have a huge lack of facilities and equipment in laboratories, workshops and infrastructure, and are suffering a shortage of administrative staff. But that doesn’t stop teachers and principals making a difference through the development and implementation of initiatives, activities and methods and strategies.

In May, we had the minister of education, Dr Omar Razzaz, visit our school to check on our learning process, and to find out more about the school’s needs. From this visit, we received a financial grant for maintenance work in addition to the rehabilitation and modernisation of some of the old buildings. Just one month after his visit, Dr Razzaz became prime minister of Jordan.

Sahar Fayyad is the principal at Shajra Aldr school, Amman, Jordan