The Jordanian government has reversed its decision to observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) all year.
According to media reports, clocks in Jordan will be set back one hour to standard time at midnight between Thursday, December 19, 2013 and Friday, December 20, 2013. After the clock change, the local time in Jordan will be 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Government bows to criticism
The government's plan to remain on DST year-round for a second winter in a row had encountered fierce opposition from many Jordanians. The Jordanian Teachers Association (JTA) was particularly outspoken in their protest against the DST schedule, which was first introduced in 2012. The JTA maintained that observing DST during the winter months puts students at risk who have to make their way to school before sunrise.
Critics also claimed that the financial benefit of observing DST year-round is much smaller than the government states.