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MAFRAQ — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday said that the residents of Mafraq Governorate are bearing the brunt of the Syrian refugee crisis in the Kingdom.

“Of all Jordanian regions, you are under pressure the most in the north, especially Mafraq, due to the consequences of the Syrian crisis,” King Abdullah said.

The King, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, was on a visit to the northern governorate to check on the needs of its residents, as part of a series of ongoing public outreach
meetings.

“The Syrian refugee crisis has affected the level of services and job opportunities and resulted in hikes in rent costs,” the King told dignitaries, officials and residents of Mafraq who attended the meeting.

The King said he was aware of additional challenges facing Mafraq residents, such as urban expansion and the issue of “the population living outside the city’s borders, to whom services are not delivered”.

The King added that Jordanians are incurring the heaviest parts of the cost of the Syrian asylum, which “is not a strange thing for Jordanians, who are known for their compassion and solidarity”. 

“It is of the utmost importance that the government and the municipalities work together to face these challenge in a comprehensive manner,” King Abdullah said.

The King also pointed out the strategic location of Mafraq Governorate, which “must be taken advantage of to attract investments and solve part of the challenges”.

“Our relations with Iraq are developing, and this should work for the benefit of the two countries in various fields,” the King told the gathering.

King Abdullah also addressed the challenges of poverty and unemployment, noting that they are the biggest challenges, which “need intensified efforts to minimise their negative effects”.

Several officials and residents delivered speeches during the gathering, expressing their pride in King Abdullah's firm stance and efforts to defend Palestine, protect Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites and ensure a lasting peace in the area.

They also listed their needs and demands, which included coming up with programmes and projects that would address unemployment among the youth.

The demands also included increasing the budget allocated for the governorate and establishing parks and playing fields for families and young people.

Officials and education officials addressed the main problems facing Al al-Bayt University, including the financial constraints and the need to furnish two main buildings that were built recently to serve as the faculties for economy and engineering.

The officials said that JD10 million was allocated to build these two structures, but they remain non-operational because there is no budget for their furnishing.

Other demands focused on allocating a plot of land to build a church and a school for the governorate’s Greek Orthodox congregation, to replace the existing church, which is located in the heart of the busy city.

Several women also called during the meeting for providing small loans for women to start their own businesses.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi informed the gathering that, upon Royal directives, the court will follow up on the demands listed by citizens during the meeting, stressing that the economy and engineering buildings at Al al-Bayt will be furnished with the support of Royal initiatives.

The King assured the gathering at the end of the meeting that a committee from the Royal Court and the government will be visiting the governorate next week to follow up on citizens’ demands and “focus on the priorities”.

King Abdullah added that the government is also “responsible for finding solutions for the challenges and needs of the governorate”. 

Adviser to His Majesty for Communication and Coordination Bisher Al Khasawneh, Special Adviser to His Majesty Manar Dabbas, Adviser to His Majesty for Tribal Affairs Saad Hayel Srour and Interior Minister Samir Mubaidin attended the meeting.

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Wednesday allocated JD120,225 to compensate farmers whose land had been damaged by the King Talal Dam overflow in February.

The money was allocated from the Finance Ministry’s 2019 fiscal emergency funds, due to the shortage of funds within the Jordan Valley Authority’s (JVA) budget, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The decision was made with consideration to the JVA Law and the requests filed by the farmers in question, asking for compensation.

AMMAN — The Minister of Environment Ibrahim Shahahdeh and Director of the Children’s Museum Jordan Sawsan Dalaq on Tuesday signed a cooperation agreement to raise awareness on waste-management practices among children.

The aim of the cooperation project is to address the random disposal of waste, especially among children, according to a statement that was sent to The Jordan Times. Fund Director Shatha Sharif said the agreement will help raise awareness on the importance of preserving the environment with children.

The project was financed by the Environment Protection Fund to support educational projects on environmental issues, the ministry’s statement underlined. An educational plan will be developed jointly under the agreement, with tools and dedicated facilitators or teachers, as well as interactive field activities for children, such as the ministry’s EcoChamp application.

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Wednesday issued an order that requires all government funds to postpone the deadlines of payments for loan instalments during Ramadan.

Those wishing to pay on time may also do so, the statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

The Cabinet directed the administration of government funds to postpone deadlines for instalment payments only after the last due payment has been made and without any added interest, Petra reported.

These funds include the Hajj Fund, the Orphans Fund Development Foundation, the Development and Employment Fund and the Jordan Postal Saving Fund, according to Petra.

The Student Support Fund, the support fund for impoverished families, the Governorates Development Fund and loans provided by the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation are also included in the decision.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Education on Wednesday said that new licence renewal prerequisites include wiring the salaries of private school principals via banks or e-wallets.

The prerequisites were highlighted in a recently issued communiqué that stipulated transferring the salaries as a prerequisite to renew school licences for the 2019/2020 academic year, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The ministry also called on all private schools to abide by all the instructions in the communiqué as legally binding, under the education by-law for the year 1994.

AMMAN — The Hashemite Custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem is historical and His Majesty King Abdullah’s regional and international efforts have restored momentum to the Palestinian cause, head of the Lower House’s Palestine Committee MP Yahya Saud said on Wednesday.

During a visit to Turkey and meeting with Hasan Turan, head of the Turkish parliament’s Turkey-Palestine parliamentary friendship group, Saud expressed appreciation for Ankara’s stances in supporting the Palestinian cause, Jerusalem and His Majesty’s efforts and custodianship over the Holy City’s sanctuaries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Turan voiced his country’s readiness to support Palestine and its people, stressing that the Palestinian cause is a religious and Islamic cause.

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat on Tuesday took part in the Moscow Conference on International Security, along with delegations from 100 other countries.

Addressing the conference, Freihat said in a speech that the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) would continue supporting international efforts to combat terrorism and extremism, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Jordan will do so out of its faith in the importance of consolidation, worldwide, in the face of this phenomenon, he said.

A consolidated anti-terrorism front will reinforce and strengthen world peace and security, Freihat noted, and more so with Jordan’s participation in numerous regional and global coalitions against these threats.

However, he warned that addressing terrorism and extremism requires a comprehensive approach that goes beyond military and security solutions.

Any such effort to tackle these issues must be based on real understanding and acknowledgment of the enabling factors and real reasons behind the rise of extremist ideologies, the Freihat added.

The JAF recently adopted a new strategy in the face of violent extremism by targeting youth and reinforcing education to counter such ideologies, he explained.

Moreover, the JAF has launched numerous programmes in cooperation with respective institutions and ministries for the rehabilitation of youth who do fall prey to extremism, Freihat highlighted.

It is vital that they are not abandoned to poverty and unemployment, which highly contributes to their susceptibility to being recruited by extremist groups, he underlined.

The Moscow conference launched on Tuesday with the participation of 30 defence ministers from around the globe and will focus on issues pertaining to international security, according to Petra.

Numerous high-ranking military and state officials from Arab countries and beyond participated in the conference, according to press agencies.

Representatives of disputing parties in Yemen and Libya were also present, as well as Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.

Several summits were organised on the sidelines of the conference to address a number of international disputes and conflicts, Agence France-Presse confirmed.

AMMAN — Members of the Senate’s National Youth Dialogue Committee on Wednesday visited the Crown Prince Foundation (CPF), where they were briefed on its youth-related objectives, priorities and achievements.

The visit was led by Senator Rabha Dabbas who said that the creation of youth initiatives was inspired by the “Senate’s belief in the importance of integrating youth in the process of development and reform by encouraging them to play an active role in society and giving within them a sense of patriotism and duty towards the Kingdom’s causes”.

Dabbas pointed out that the shared objectives between the committee and the CPF are what inspired the visit, which aim at establishing cooperation in the face of the challenges that confront the youth, in addition to providing them with suitable conditions within various fields.

She also said that members of the committee have carried out interviews with Jordanian youths from around the Kingdom to listen to their ideas, inspire them to be proactive and promote self-reliance.

During the visit, CPF CEO Tamam Mango gave a presentation on the foundation, which was established in 2015, a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

The presentation focused on the CPF’s three core values: creation, pioneering and skills, leadership and excellence of the youth and community service, Petra reported.

Mango affirmed that the CPF and all of its divisions have the youth as their priority, as the foundation has organised a variety of initiatives, programmes and activities pertaining to technical training and education, invigorating creativity and the exchange of expertise with a variety of partner institutions, foremost of which is the private sector.

The senators commended the CPF’s efforts in developing charity and social work by supporting and empowering the youth to invest their energy and creativity.

They also called on the youth to benefit from the various CPF activities and initiatives in order to hone their skills, develop their abilities and build their character.

A number of senators pointed to the importance of creating an environment that motivates the youth to engage their entrepreneurial abilities with projects that enhance services and manual labour as opposed to working towards the automation of the construction and agricultural sectors, according to Petra.

AMMAN — The Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF) released survey findings on Tuesday showing that 21 per cent of investors in the Kingdom view the investment environment as encouraging, while 77 per cent said it is not.

The JSF survey on investor confidence showed that 24.4 per cent of investors see current economic conditions in Jordan as on the right track, while 65.1 per cent said otherwise, according to a JSF statement.

Among those who said that economic conditions were on the wrong track, 30 per cent attributed their decision to difficult economic circumstances, 25 per cent to high customs fees, taxes and interest rates and 17 per cent to policy instability and complicated laws and by-laws.

The survey, which was conducted in February, interviewed 581 investors. These included 356 investors in the services sector, 116 in the industrial, 73 in the commercial and 36 in the agricultural sectors, according to the JSF website.

The survey showed a 79 per cent of investors said that economic conditions in 2018 were worse than in 2017.

Regarding their expectations for the future, 29 per cent of investors expected conditions in the next 12 months to be better, while half of investors said it would be worse.

Investors who said that the current investment environment is not encouraging cited high prices, taxes, customs, economic conditions, lack of workforce and corruption.

As for their expectations on the volume of economic transactions, 33 per cent of investors said they thought that volume would increase over the next 12 months, 20 per cent anticipated it to remain unchanged and 39 per cent expected it to decline.

The survey showed that the percentage of investors who expanded their businesses in 2018 fell to 18 per cent, compared with 26 per cent in 2017. Forty per cent of investors also made cuts in their businesses in 2018, an increase from 24 per cent in 2017.

On a sector basis, 22 per cent of investors in the agricultural sector, 19 per cent in the industrial, 17 per cent in the services and 15 per cent in the commercial sectors said that they had expanded their investments.

The 40 per cent of investors who had made cuts to their businesses attributed their decisions to high tax rates, fees, customs and operational costs, as well as an economic recession, weak purchasing power and low demand. 

AMMAN — The Ministry of Education on Wednesday finalised preparations for the 2019 summer session of the Tawjihi (general secondary education certificate examination).

The session begins on June 11 and ends on July 1, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Education Minister Walid Maani said that 159,209 students in all streams of the programme will sit for the Tawjihi tests during the aforementioned period.

The complementary session, for those who failed to complete all their subjects or wish to raise their marks, will be held a week after announcing the examination results, no later than July 25, according to a statement carried by Petra.

Complementary sessions are designed to give students a chance to enrol in universities on time, are free of charge and do not require students to register, Petra said.

The number of students sitting for examination from the scientific stream is 56,268, the statement underlined, 80,673 from the literary stream, 192 from the Sharia stream, 2,674 from the IT stream and 156 from the health education stream.

Tests will be held in 1,469 central examination rooms across 513 schools around the Kingdom, Petra stated.

Meanwhile, 37 students from juvenile reform and rehabilitation centres will be sitting for the exam.

The education ministry has also prepared writers to assist blind students with their examination, in addition to waiving the requirement for the mathematics and computer science tests for students who do not fall under that category.