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AMMAN — At a time when most of the national attention is focused on the impact of formal education on children's development, no one really considers the role of parents in providing quality educational tools for their kids, a young Jordanian entrepreneur said.

Qusai Abu Shanap recalled noticing the loss of confidence of parents around him who kept asking themselves "What can I do with my kids?", noting that children tend to be stuck between school and home without the opportunity to "explore the world out there".

"We wanted to find a way to help parents reconnect with their children by spending more quality time with them through educational and fun activities," Abu Shanap told The Jordan Times at his office in King Hussein Business Park, stressing that "it is very important for children to learn outside the school in order to be prepared for the real life".

Along with Elaf Al Araj, Hana’a Alfaqeer and Abdullah Abu Mafouth, he developed SDEQ, a mobile app that aims to engage and support parents in doing entertaining age-based activities with their kids anytime, anywhere. 

"Our motto at SDEQ [or 'friend' in Arabic] is 'Be a friend with your kids', as we believe that, while parents should be as important as teachers in educating their child, they can also do this in a fun way," Araj said.

On the SDEQ online platform, creative educators — whether parents or professionals — design customised activities based on parents' engagement, children's feedback and the latest scientific studies, which are then assessed by the SDEQ team who decides how viable the activity is.

"We make sure that any activity posted on the app has been reviewed by an expert, tested by trusted parents and abides by existing child protection policies," Araj explained, noting that "anyone is welcome to submit proposals for activities and become our partner in this journey towards better education".

"The point of these activities is that they are doable anywhere by anyone. They do not require complicated or expensive material, and they are suited for any environment," Abu Shanap said, noting that the app displays games to be played in the living room, the garden, or at the mall, among other common places.

Once they log into the SDEQ app, parents select the best suited activity for them and their child by answering a few questions that help in identifying their needs.

"First, we ask for the age of the kid, as each stage of childhood has different needs and learning methods. Then, we ask them how much time they have to spend with their child. Whether it is a whole day or just 15 minutes, we believe it is important for parents to invest in daily quality time with their children. No matter how little time or how simple the activity is, it is always better to do something than nothing," Araj stressed. 

Each activity is displayed in several steps, which are illustrated through simple, user-friendly videos. 

"We look at activities on the basis of four main goals: supporting formal education, acquiring 21st century adapted skills, providing a social and emotional learning and offering developmentally appropriate practices," Araj stated, noting that all users are encouraged to provide feedback on their experience to help improve the app.

The app, which seeks to improve children's educational experience while strengthening familial ties through over 1,000 activities, also aims to help educators involved in the app progressively earn an additional income.

In 2017, Qusai was awarded the Youth for change award and received the BADIR fellowship to help him further develop the SDEQ project.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday received Commander of the United States Central Command Gen. Joseph Votel and discussed bilateral ties especially in the military field, according to a Royal Court statement.

During the meeting, which was attended by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat at Al Husseiniya Palace, His Majesty and Votel went over the latest regional developments, and regional and international efforts in the war against terrorism within a holistic strategy.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Monday conducted a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Sherif Ismail, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the call, the premiers discussed means to boost bilateral relations between Jordan and Egypt in all fields. They stressed the importance of cooperation among Arab countries. Mulki and Ismail commended the continued coordination on issues of common interest.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Monday attended the launch of several projects implemented by the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The projects, worth $9 million, aim to improve the administration's work and enhance its role in ensuring the safety and quality of food and drugs in the Kingdom.

The new projects include establishing laboratories and drugs departments financed by a Saudi Arabian grant. The plan also includes a renewable energy project to reduce JFDA's spending.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday held talks that focused on strategic partnership and the latest regional developments, according to a Royal Court statement.

During the discussions, held at Al Husseiniya Palace in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania and Steinmeier’s spouse, King Abdullah and the German president went over means to develop cooperation between the two countries, especially at the economic, investment, tourism, development, military, security and ICT levels.

Speaking at the start of an expanded meeting, His Majesty welcomed President Steinmeier in his new capacity as president and “as an old and dear friend of Jordan”.

Noting the strong, historical ties between Jordan and Germany, the King said the relationship is steadily advancing.

His Majesty cited the recent meetings with German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, and in Davos with Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss issues that Jordan and Germany see eye to eye on.

The King also highlighted the development of defence and security ties between the two countries, expressing keenness to advance them further “in this day and age”.

His Majesty expressed gratitude for the assistance that Germany provides to enable Jordan to overcome “the challenges that we are going through these days”, and “the historical support” it has offered over the years.

Praising Germany’s strong role in the region, His Majesty said discussions at the expanded meeting will cover several regional issues, foremost of which are “Jerusalem and the fate of the peace process”.

The King reiterated Jordan’s position on these issues, stressing that the Kingdom believes in a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.

In addition, the King noted the successful collaboration of the two countries in the field of vocational and technical education.

For his part, President Steinmeier said relations between Jordan and Germany “cannot be closer”, and have grown stronger in the past years.

Though this is his first visit to Jordan as president, Steinmeier said the two countries’ friendship is long lasting, highlighting His Majesty’s visit to Germany in 2016, when he received the Peace of Westphalia Prize.

President Steinmeier said Germany follows Jordan’s policy in the region “with huge respect and admiration”, noting that the Kingdom is under difficult conditions, especially since 2011, when tens of thousands of Syrian refugees started coming to the Kingdom.

 Earlier on Sunday, the German president said he visited a school where Jordanian teachers “were very engaged” with Jordanian and Syrian students alike.

“I know this is a huge burden for Jordan,” President Steinmeier added, noting that this is one of the reasons why Germany has been “ready and responsible” to support the Kingdom in shouldering this burden.

Germany is also cooperating with Lebanon, which the president said he will also be visiting, to alleviate the impact of the refugee crisis.

Noting that refugees from Syria and elsewhere now account for a substantial portion of Jordan’s population, President Steinmeier said this has exacerbated the Kingdom’s burden amidst economic difficulties in the region.

The president said discussions would also focus on regional issues, namely Palestinian-Israeli relations and the future status of Jerusalem, as well as tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which affect the entire region.

On the latest developments in the Palestinian issue and Jerusalem, His Majesty highlighted the importance of intensifying international efforts to end the stalemate in the peace process.

King Abdullah stressed that the Jerusalem issue must be settled within the final-status solution and a just, comprehensive peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, which guarantee the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Both leaders stressed the importance of sustaining coordination and consultation between the two countries on various issues of mutual interest, in a way that contributes to realising peace and enhancing regional security and stability.

Discussions also coevered the Kingdom’s reform efforts and its economic reform programme, in addition to means to increase Jordanian exports to European markets through facilitating the agreement to simplify the rules of origin for Jordanian exports to the EU.

Talks went over current regional crises and means to reach political solutions to them, in a bid to retrieve security and stability to the region’s peoples.

King Abdullah, in the presence of Queen Rania, held a lunch banquet in honour of Steinmeier, his spouse and the accompanying delegation. 

Also on Sunday, the German president headed to Jerash and toured the ancient Roman city, accompanied by Water Minister Hazem El Nasser and Tourism Minister Lina Annab.

Also in Jerash, 45km north of Amman, Steinmeier visited the Eastern Bath site, where a German-French archaeological mission is excavating in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities (DoA) and the University of Jordan.

Thomas Weber-Karyotakis, the head of the mission, said that the team has unearthed a marble statue of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, that dates back to 152 AD and a head of another statue of the Empress Julia Domna.

Jerash Mayor Ali Gogazeh briefed the president on the city of Jerash, its historic sites and Jerash Municipality’s development plans.          

Steinmeier also paid a visit to the King Hussein Business Park and met officials at the Oasis 500 building for entrepreneurship. 

The president had a firsthand look at an electronic application developed by a German company’s branch in the park. The application helps identify cancer cells and their percentage, which helps in diagnosing the disease in various stages. 

He also visited the business college affiliated with the German-Jordanian University, and listened to a briefing by university President Manar Fayyad on the specialisations offered by the faculty.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday met with the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Minister Derek Browning, a Royal Court statement said.

During the meeting, attended by HRH Prince Ghazi, King’s special adviser for religious and cultural affairs, the King and the minister stressed the importance of enhancing dialogue, tolerance and co-existence among followers of various religions.

The meeting touched on initiatives launched by Jordan to support dialogue including the Amman Message, the World Interfaith Harmony Week and the Common Word.

His Majesty said Jordan would continue its role as the custodian of Muslim and Christian holy places in Jerusalem, stressing that the Christian holy places receive equal attention as Islamic shrines.

For his part, Browning voiced his appreciation for his Majesty’s efforts to realise peace and stability in the region and advocate tolerance and dialogue, and his efforts to protect the Christian holy places in Jerusalem, stressing that Jordan is “a role model of brotherhood and tolerance”.  

AMMAN — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived late Sunday in Amman for a visit that came in response to an invitation by His Majesty King Abdullah, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He was received at the Marka Civil Airport by Sate Minister for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani and several senior officials and top brass.

A ceremonial official reception was given upon the arrival of the visiting president, who was greeted by the Honour Guard. 

This is the first visit by Abbas to Jordan in the aftermath of the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which triggered a crisis in the Palestinian-US ties that saw US President Trump order cuts in US aid to Palestinian refugees and threaten more punitive measures.  

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday received a delegation representing the Steering Committee of the Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit 2018, scheduled to be held at the Dead Sea from March 26-27, according to a Royal Court statement.

During the meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace, attended by HRH Prince Ali, His Majesty stressed the importance of topics that will be discussed at the summit, in which they will be focusing on providing education and protection for refugee and displaced children from exploitation and abuse. 

The delegation includes former first lady of Panama and UNAIDS Special Ambassador to South America Lorena Castillo, former president of East Timor José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Prize winner of 1996, and India’s child rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate of 2014 Kailash Satyarthi.

The first Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit was held in New Delhi in 2016. Launched by Satyarthi, the summit aimed to bring together Nobel laureates, world leaders and young activists to develop a global action plan to protect children.

In the upcoming summit, participants will discuss the challenges faced by children during crisis, as well as examining actions to protect children from exploitation, trafficking, slavery and abuse and provide them with education.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh.

AMMAN — Health Ministry Secretary General Layl Fayez on Sunday launched an emergency response plan in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners, according to a ministry statement 

The plan was prepared in 2017 in coordination with WHO and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention  to increase the ministry’s readiness to deal with emergencies and diseases, the statement said.

The ministry’s emergency centre was launched in 2015 to handle the crises management department in addition to creating a higher committee supporting the centre’s activities and events. 

As part of the plan, a training drill simulating an emergency response will be carried out to maximise the plan’s strengths and identify its weaknesses in regard to diseases’ prevention.   

Fayez expressed his appreciation for WHO and its partners, particularly the Japanese government, who contributed with JD32.5 million in 2017, JD324,000 of which were dedicated to this project.

For its part, WHO representative Maria Cristina Profili stressed the importance of the ministry’s emergency centre which abides by the world health regulations 

She hailed Jordan’s efforts in increasing healthcare levels and taking all necessary measures to deal with emergencies, voicing her appreciation for the Japanese government’s support to the organisation.  

AMMAN — Officials on Sunday said that a man who allegedly murdered his son and dumped his body in a pond in northern Badia over the weekend has confessed to adopting takfiri ideologies. 

The lifeless body of a five-year-old boy was found in a pond by police shortly after his father confessed to strangling him to death and dumping his body in the water.

The suspect was arrested by the authorities near the Syrian border after they received a tip-off that he was attempting to flee the country illegally with a second man.

“Initial questioning of the suspect indicated that he embraces takfiri ideologies and there is a possibility that he suffers from mental issues,” Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

Sartawi did not elaborate on the cause behind the murder, noting that investigations are still ongoing.

“The Criminal Court prosecutor is currently questioning the suspect to learn more about the motive,” Sartawi concluded.