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King Abdullah and Queen Rania spent part of their Sunday at a primary school in Aqaba, a southern port city in Jordan. As noted by the Royal Hashemite Court, the couple visited the Aisha bint Abu Bakr Mixed Primary School, where they met with teachers, toured the facilities, and observed training sessions in progress. The couple also watched a kindergarten class led by educators who had completed a specialized early childhood training course.
Royal Hashemite Court
Queen Rania and King Abdullah visit Aisha bint Abu Bakr Mixed Primary School in Aqaba.
The visit centered on two professional development programs being implemented at public schools across Jordan by the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development in partnership with the Queen Rania Teacher Academy. Queen Rania, dressed in a midi shirt dress with puff sleeves by Alexis with a Louis Vuitton belt and Dior heels, was seen engaging with many of the young pupils, while King Abdullah spoke with several teachers about the impact the programs had had on their classrooms.
Royal Hashemite Court
One of the instructors speaks with the royal couple.
Royal Hashemite Court
Queen Rania and King Abdullah seen speaking with one of the young students.
The occasion holds particular resonance for Queen Rania, who has made education one of the central causes of her public life. World Teachers’ Day is observed each year on October 5. UNESCO—the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—established the observance in 1994 to honor educators and highlight the needs of the teaching profession globally.
Queen Rania has served as UNICEF’s Eminent Advocate for Children since 2007, traveling with the organization to learning centers and schools across multiple continents to champion access to quality education, particularly for girls. In Jordan, she founded the Madrasati Initiative in 2008, a grassroots program that brought together public, private, and nonprofit partners to renovate public schools in urgent need of repair.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.