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AMMAN — The founder of Hello World Kids (HWK), a Jordanian organisation that teaches coding and programming to kids between the ages of 6 and 15, is participating in Bett, one of the largest educational technology forum in the world.

Hanan Khader and her team convened in London on Wednesday, to present her educational company to some 34,700 experts in the field, representing 850 leading companies between January 24 and 27.

"I believe teaching programming is a global mission that needs to be realised for every kid, everywhere in the world," Khader, who started programming when she was 10 years old, told The Jordan Times ahead of the event. 

"Teaching coding is not only about creating a new generation of programmers but rather about instilling skillability at a very young age. When a kid learns how to code, he/she also learns crucial skills such as problem solving, critical thinking or data analysis, among others," she explained, stressing that "these tech skills will be useful for a lifetime."

"These children we teach have an amazing potential; we get kids as young as four years old asking us questions which we don’t even know how to answer," recalled Lama Al Himssi, head of marketing at HWK, noting that curricula start from simplified computer use for 6 years old and goes all the way up to mobile app development for the 13 years old.

The courses provided by HWK, which include in-school teaching and holidays sessions, have reached over 40,000 students spread across 80 schools around the Kingdom, in addition to 12 schools in Lebanon.

Khader, who said she expects to train 150,000 kids next year, stressed the "huge" room for innovation in the field. "It is not like mathematics or philosophy, where all discoveries have already been made and theories been proven; in tech, no one knows everything and anyone has the potential to create something new," she said, citing several of her former students' inventions.

Mohammed Khirfan, a 5th grader, is among the young inventors featured in the HWK textbook, displaying the "Space War Game" he created during the course. Another student, 11-year-old Ibrahim Abdeen, designed a computer game dubbed "Angry Bird Balloon", which requires the player use the famous bird character to pop up as many balloons as possible.

Sitting in the HWK offices located at King Hussein Business Park, Lana, a 7-year-old, is taking part in the winter camp session. "I did not know what coding was but I was curious, so I came here. I love that I know how to use a computer better than my parents now," she said, highlighting how "funny and smart" the two mascots of HWK, Redo and Greeno are.

"With the course, which we adapt to every level and learning ability, children get to own their learning experience, which should be the case for any student," Khader highlighted, noting that "we need to move away from the old system which does not prepare children to the demands of the future."

Hello World Kids strives to implement this inclusive vision, notably by providing programming courses for children with disabilities, including deaf and mute students across the Kingdom.

"These children know more than us about what their peers need and they just need someone to give them the opportunity to change the world," the founder underlined, noting that she partnered with the King's Academy to provide educational solutions for children with special needs.

Ultimately, HWK does not aim to replace the human component in the learning equation, Khader stressed, explaining that "we instead fill the gap between two very separate worlds: that of the programmer and of the teacher".

For Areej Khalil, a mother of three, "there is nothing more beautiful than seeing my children feeling confident and proud of their achievements", reflecting upon Khader's vision that "I remember that great sensation I felt when I created something when I started coding myself."

The organisation, which started three years ago, has partnered with the Crown Prince Foundation and the Queen Rania Teacher Academy and aims to reach out to all schools across the Kingdom as well as globally.

AMMAN — The Judicial Council on Thursday appointed Judge Ihsan Zuhdi Barakat as a judge in the Cassation Court to become the first Jordanian female judge to hold this position, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Four months ago, Barakat was promoted with the highest rank, making her the first woman to reach a senior post in the judiciary.

The Cassation Court is the highest judicial authority in the Jordanian judicial system, which has authority over all Jordanian courts and comprises seven judicial bodies.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hani Mulki has issued a circular to ministries and official institutions to ensure gender equality in vacant positions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Thursday. 

Mulki said that the selection of candidates has to be based on eligibility regardless of gender, unless it is an exceptional case required by the work nature approved by the Civil Service Bureau president and justification presented.

The prime minister has directed human resources employees in ministries and official departments to comply with this directive as part of the appointment procedures.

The decision comes in line with the provisions of the Jordanian Constitution and His Majesty King Abdullah’s Discussion Papers.

AMMAN — India and Jordan enjoy “warm and friendly relations”, said India's Ambassador to Jordan Shubhdarshini Tripathi in an interview on the occasion of India's 69th Republic Day.

India on Friday celebrates its 69th Republic Day which commemorates the day on which the country’s constitution has come into force.

"In India, we believe in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, in Sanskrit; meaning the entire world is a family and therefore, we share with the family whatever we have," she said on Tuesday.

 “I take this opportunity to thank all Jordanian establishments for all their support to us in our endeavour to enhance our bilateral ties.”

“There has been bilateral exchange of visits between our two leaders at the highest levels. The year 2017 saw the visits to India by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Minister of Industry and Trade, Yarub Qudah, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Al Safadi. In addition, there was a trade and business delegation from the Jordan Investment Commission that visited India,” Tripathi noted.

“We need to diversify our trade and have more business to business interaction so that we could achieve the trade target of $5 billion by 2025 from the current $1.35 billion registered in 2015-16.”

Besides having a large volume of investments in Jordan, India was the Kingdom’s 4th largest trading partner in 2014, according to the ambassador.

“We are constantly identifying new areas of cooperation in the commercial sector.”

In order to expand, develop and diversify trade relations and promote economic, trade and investment cooperation, the two countries signed an economic and trade cooperation agreement in July 2017, she added.

India imports fertilisers, phosphate, phosphoric acid from Jordan while its exports to the Kingdom include electrical machinery, cereals, frozen meat, organic and inorganic chemicals, animal fodder, engineering and automotive parts, according to the ambassador.

Republic Day

India is commemorating on Friday the day on which the country’s constitution has been enacted.

The constitution of India has "clearly articulated" the social and economic goals and specified the actions needed to achieve the promised social goals, the ambassador said.

With the drawing up of the Constitution, in the aftermath of the British rule, citizens have become assured that the executive legislative and judiciary powers will uphold their rights and remove inequities, she told The Jordan Times.

At the time of its commencement, it was the world's lengthiest written constitution with 395 articles in 22 parts and eight schedules, she indicated.

There have been 101 amendments to the constitution of India since it has come into force, she added.

“Amendments have been made as the situation evolves, and adapting to the new realities,” said the ambassador.

Now, the constitution has 448 articles in 25 parts, 12 schedules, five appendices and 101 amendments.

In its preamble, the philosophy of the Constitution is included and it is stated that India is “a sovereign, secular, socialist democratic republic”, she noted.

Foreign policy

For India, its foreign and economic policy objectives are integrated and cannot be addressed divorced from each other, Tripathi indicated.

The creation of an external environment that is conducive to all-inclusive growth in the country is one of the components of India’s foreign policy, she added.

Moreover, India adheres to its policy of non-interference into internal affairs of other countries and advocates the policy of constructive engagement, the ambassador said.

Celebrations

Back home, India, also known as Bharat, has collectively invited all leaders of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the group of 10 countries in that region, to be the chief guests at its 2018 Republic Day celebrations. “This is the first time that more than one head of state or government will be part of the Republic Day celebrations,” the ambassador indicated.

Marking the occasion in Jordan, the Indian community and friends of India will come together on Friday for a flag-hoisting ceremony at the embassy’s new premises in Abdoun.

On Thursday evening, a leading troupe from the state of Rajasthan gave a performance, presenting a variety of traditional Indian folk dances at the Royal Cultural Centre in Amman. Minister of Culture Nabih Shuqum attended the performance.

On Sunday, the troupe is going to perform at Irbid Cultural Centre while the eastern governorate of Zarqa will host a performance of the Rajasthani troupe at King Abdullah II Cultural Centre on Monday, according to the Indian embassy.

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a January 2017 Criminal Court ruling sentencing a man to five years in prison after convicting him of molesting a 16-year-old boy in April 2016.

The court declared the defendants guilty of molesting the boy on April 9 and handed him a four-year punishment. The court decided to immediately increase the sentence by one year because he was a repeated sex offender.

Court papers said that the defendant “knew the victim because he worked in a shop near his residence”.

On the day of the incident, the court maintained, the defendant took the boy in his vehicle to his house and informed him that “he wanted to engage in sexual activities with him”.

“The defendant, who had consumed alcohol, offered the minor money in exchange for sex but the victim refused so he molested him,” the court said.

The boy managed to escape from the defendant’s house and “informed his boss and family about the incident”.

The defendant had contested the Criminal Court’s ruling saying that “the victim gave contradictory statements in front of the police and the Criminal Court prosecutor”.

The Criminal Court general attorney had asked the Court of Cassation to uphold the ruling stating that the “defendant deserved the punishment he received”.

The higher court adhered to the Criminal Court’s general attorney’s request to uphold the verdict by ruling that “the verdict was accurate and the defendant deserved the punishment he received”. 

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Prince Ghazi, the King’s special adviser for religious and cultural affairs and the personal envoy of His Majesty King Abdullah, Awqaf Minister Wael Arabiyat has inaugurated the 16th remembrance day of Mutah martyrs' titled “Understanding theory and application of Islamic Sharia provisions”, which was organised by Dar Awabeen Social Organisation in cooperation with the Awqaf Ministry.

In his remarks, Arabiyat highlighted the importance of organising such events to spread awareness among the Islamic community about the necessity of understanding Muslim teachings, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Thursday. The event was also attended by Yemeni Scholar Habib Omar Hafiz, dean of Dar Mustafa Centre for Islamic Studies, Petra added. 

AMMAN — The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is calling for expressions of interest by qualified mining companies to explore "promising" gold deposits in Wadi Araba area in Southern Jordan.

The ministry said Thursday that initial exploration efforts have indicated "encouraging signs" for an economical resource and said it was ready to take further steps by working with qualified developers to exploit that resource, according to a statement posted on its website. Deadline for expressions of interest is March 1, it indicated.

AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez on Thursday commended Jordan’s relations with EU countries in various fields, especially political and economic, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

During a meeting with EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana, Fayez said that Jordan’s tie with EU countries are “strong, strategic and are based on mutual respect that serves common interests”.

During the meeting organised by Jordan-EU parliamentary friendship committee, attended by the head of the committee Senator Alia Bouran, the Senate president said that the Kingdom appreciates the EU’s “constant” support, in the light of economic challenges facing the country resulting from regional crises. 

Fayez called for increased economic aid to Jordan over the next five years to support the State Treasury to address the deficit caused by the Syrian refugee crisis. 

Fayez also appreciated the EU countries’ support to pan-Arab issues, especially His Majesty King Abdullah’s stance by rejecting the US administration’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

For his part, Fontana stressed the EU’s keenness to further relations with Jordan, pointing out that the bloc will continue economic support to the Kingdom. The ambassador expressed his appreciation of Jordan for hosting the Syrian refugees and in bringing security and stability to the region. 

During the meeting, the ambassador outlined the amount and nature of the EU’s aid to Jordan in various sectors, especially in education, energy, water and the development of the business environment.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs presented its strategy to a number of political parties with the aim of enhancing partnership between the ministry and its partners during a meeting on Wednesday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Thursday.

The meeting aimed at hearing the partners' views on the strategic plan and discussed the proposals made by the parties. Secretary general of the ministry and head of political parties committee, Baker Abbadi, pointed out that the ministry has replaced its strategy, vision and mission to be in line with the Royal Discussion Papers, especially the sixth paper on the rule of law and the civil state.

Abbadi called on secretaries general of political parties to increase cooperation with the ministry and provide it with written proposals to have them studied and included in the new strategy.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday met with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Davos and discussed with him ways to enhance cooperation between Jordan and Poland, especially in the economic and military fields, according to a Royal Court statement. 

During the meeting attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, the two leaders reviewed recent developments in the Palestinian issue and Jerusalem. His Majesty stressed the need to proceed with the peace process that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

His Majesty, who returned back home later in the day, and President Duda also discussed regional and global developments, crises witnessed by the Middle East and efforts made in the war on terrorism within a holistic strategy.

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan.

Also on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, His Majesty also met with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

During the meeting of His Majesty the King with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, economic support to Jordan was reviewed. They examined Jordan’s economic reform programme aimed at enhancing growth and its ability to meet the challenges emerging from regional crises.

The meeting was also attended by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury.

AMMAN — German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, accompanied by his spouse, is expected to visit Jordan to discuss with His Majesty King Abdullah bilateral relations and recent regional and global developments, a Royal Court statement said Thursday. 

On the sidelines of his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, King Abdullah met Wednesday with with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  The meeting, attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania, focused on means to expand cooperation between Jordan and Germany, especially at economic, trade, development and military fields, along with regional issues.

King Abdullah expressed his appreciation for the German support to Jordan, voicing hope for further aid to help the Kingdom implement development and economic projects.

The two leaders also discussed developments related to the Mideast peace process and Jerusalem, agreeing that the two-state solution is the only formula that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.