Celebrations were held in the Kingdom on Saturday to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the founding of Jordan and sixty-five years of independence. The army, the Great Arab Revolt, and the monarchy were also honored in these festivities. The celebrations were criticized due to allegations that ministry officials were paying citizens to participate.

Criticism stemmed from the traffic congestion that closed vital streets for two days in order to hold the celebration.

The Ministry of Education was directly criticized for encouraging students to participate in the celebration by postponing exams, which were scheduled for Saturday, in order to give students a holiday in conjunction with the celebration.

The Ministry did not only inform students and teachers of the celebration, but issued a notice to all school districts in the provinces urging them to participate in the celebrations as well. Transportation was also organized  to transfer students from the district to the ceremony and back.

According to a copy of the notice which was obtained by AmmanNet, the Ministry of Education appointed a monitor for each bus to record the names and phone numbers of participating student in order to ensure their devotion to the celebration. Students were instructed to inspect the buses to monitor the safety of the transportation there and back.

Students who participated from the outlying provinces were directed by the ministry to take breaks while on their way to the celebrations and secure the bus with adequate drinking water and juices.

The notice also included the Ministry of Interior's urge to the Directorate of Education of the governorates to also participate in the celebration.

The notice does not contain any indication that the Ministry of Education distributed money to students participating in the celebration. The teachers said that the Ministry allocated two dinars for each student.

A teacher from the Southern Governorate said that the Ministry stipulated that the student participants in the celebration were required to provide the school with written consent from their guardian.

A teacher from the school district in Zarqa who preferred not to disclose their name told AmmanNet, "School teachers who refused to participate were threatened to have their names submitted to the Ministry of Education," and added, "the school then issued a notice saying that participation is optional and students are not compelled to participate."

The teacher added that about 10 teachers and 90 students participated in the celebration. Four buses were used to transport them to the ceremony's venue on Medical City Street. Students were given JD2.50 allowance for food .

Secretary General of the Patriotic Party, Dr. Saleh Rsheidat rejected criticism of the celebrations. He told  AmmanNet, "Why not take one day to celebrate the accomplishments that have taken place in the Kingdom?"

The political movement (36) expressed their criticism of the event in a statement on Sunday by saying the cost of the festivities was "high" adding, "The poor and hungry are the ones in our country that are the most in need of care."

The same position was expressed by the chairman of the political party of the Islamic Action Front, Zaki Bani Irshid. Irshid criticized compelling students to participate in the celebrations, saying that this method is contradictory to the values that are important to Jordan. It instead portrays Jordan as a backward country that agrees with the governments of Syria and Libya.

He told AmmanNet that real loyalty is to work to fight corruption and uphold the values of freedom and democracy, not partaking in artificial celebrations.