De La Salle Frere

College De La Salle / La Salle Amman (Freres)
Location
AL Razi Street, Jabal Al-Hussien, Amman Jordan
Information
Type	Independent
Established	1950
Faculty	approx. 80
Enrollment	approx. 1,250
Information	([phone]
Headmaster	Gabi F. Ghazzawi
Website	http://www.lasallejordan.org

College De La Salle - Frères is a private school in Amman, Jordan. Established in 1950, and it is part of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as Lasallian Brothers, established by Saint John Baptist de La Salle who lived in the 17th century and was canonized as a saint on May 15, 1900. In 1950, Pope Pius XII declared him to be the Special Patron of All Teachers of Youth in the Catholic Church. The Institute now conducts educational work in 80 different countries including La Sallian schools and universities in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania. It is considered as the biggest school in the world as it has more than 148 branches all over the globe.

History

College De la Salle's presence in Amman came as a response to Mgr. Nehme Sama'an's personal invitation to open a Lasallian school in the capital of Jordan, Amman.

In 1948 a political turmoil took place in the Middle East. In the eyes of the De La Salle Brothers in Rome, any new foundation in the region was out of the question. New contacts were made through the auspices of the French Ambassador to Jordan Mr. Dumarcay.

In 1950 Mgr. Gori the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem graciously consented to the opening of college De La Salle in Amman, and on August 16 an authorisation was granted by the government to open the school under the name "College de la Salle". The school opened its doors for the first time in Jabal Amman, in a rented house near the grounds of the existing CMS School. On September 19 three classes were ready to receive 50 pupils freshly registered for the coming school year to begin at October 2. By October 14, the school had 118 pupils, a very humble start by all accounts.

In 1952, the small rented house where the school had functioned for the previous two years had become too small; 333 pupils crammed into the rooms previously converted into classrooms. Buying a piece of land for the school became a priority. Then on December 2 a piece of land was bought near the Abdali camp, which was a surprise among the parents because at that time the land was situated out of the city limits. There were no roads to access the property; building an educational institution there made no sense.

On January 20, 1953 the plans to build the school were ready but obtaining the necessary authorizations from the ministries continued to take time; King Hussein had just ascended to the throne of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Then on May 12 the excavations began among a huge surprise from the local population. By October 7 the school opened its doors in the new building which was not yet finished. There were 350 pupils in the new construction, while 89 children remained in the rented house in Jabal Amman. On 15 May, St. John Baptist de la Salle, the school's Patron Saint and Founder organized a feast to celebrate the school.

At present, the school has 1450 pupils with a staff of about 150 highly qualified, well-experienced teachers. The school opens its doors to boys and girls willing to study for either the Jordanian certificate of Secondary Education (Tawjihi) or for IGCSE O-level and GCE A-level.

The School's current principal is Gabi Ghazzawi.

References