Abdul Hamid Sharaf School

Abdul Hamid Sharaf School (or AHSS) is among the first private, coeducational, non-parochial, K-12 day school school serving the needs of a diverse group of students, international and local in Amman, Jordan[1]. It was founded by Farid and Sue Dahdah, in 1980. It is named after the former prime minister Abdul Hamid Sharaf who had recently died at the time[2]. The school offers the American system and the British system. The main language of instruction is English while Arabic is supplemented for other subjects[3]. The Abdul Hamid Sharaf School is a unique, non-traditional institution. It has many characteristics that make it different from most schools.

Her Majesty Queen Noor and Her Excellency Mrs. Leila Sharaf have been very helpful and encouraging over the years. Her Majesty sponsored a Montessori training program in the school and provided the equipment and materials for a Montessori kindergarten class in 1982, the first in the kingdom. Her Excellency Mrs. Leila Sharaf presented the school with a sizable fund to establish its first library[4]

Dr. Sue Dahdah and husband, engineer Farid Dahdah, founded the school in 1980. It was among the first of many modern, private, non-parochial schools to open in Amman, Jordan in the early eighties. Starting with 18 students in a small rented villa, the school soon outgrew the location and moved to its current premises in the summer of 1991. The school currently has capacity for 800 students in kindergarten through twelfth grades.[5]

The school is located in the affluent neighbourhood of Deir Ghbar in West Amman, not far from the American Embassy, the British Embassy and The French School. The easiest ways to reach the school are to exit from the airport highway or to come from the sixth circle.[6]

AHSS was reaccredited in spring 2019 by Cognia formerly known as North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) a division of AdvancED.[7] Among the advantages of accreditation, graduates of the American high school program at AHSS can obtain equalization for their school diploma from the Jordanian Ministry of Education. Equalization is necessary for students who plan to do their college or university studies in Jordan.[8] AHSS is an associate member of the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA). Dr. Sue Dahdah has been a member since 1971 while AHSS has been since 1980. School representatives attend the annual administrators' and teachers' conferences organized by NESA throughout the Near Eastern and South Asian regions.[9]

Uniform is worn by grades one through seven, comprising navy blue pants or culottes, white shirts and turquoise or navy blue cardigans and pullovers. Neckties and scarves are worn for formal occasions. For physical education, white school T-shirt, shorts and training suit are worn. Uniform is not required for students in grades eight through twelve although a dress code is in effect.[10]