Local

AMMAN — The National Campaign for Defending Students’ Rights (Thabahtoona) claimed in a statement issued on Sunday that the removal  of the word “Fail” from Tawjihi will “destroy education” as the certificate will become “worthless”.

Thabahtoona Coordinator Fakher Daas said that the new regulations for the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination scrapping the “failure/success” classification means that both qualified and unqualified students will receive certificates and even obtain a university degree.

Daas, who called the new regulations a “huge mess” told The Jordan Times that university admission  will be affected as students who failed in major subjects like Arabic, English or Physics will be eligible to enter university inside or outside Jordan, just because they hold a certificate.

He questioned the Ministry of Higher Education’s stance towards the issue and asked if there will be new criteria for university admission. 

“There is no [educational] system in the world that cancels the criteria of success and failure,” Daas claimed.

The latest regulations published in the Official Gazette described the results of the exam with phrases such as “disqualified due to insufficient school grades” for regular students who fail at school in courses they register at a certain session.

Phrases also include “disqualified due to absence” if a student was registered absent in all school courses he or she was meant to sit in for a session, “disqualified for violating exam regulations” if a student was banned from sitting for at least one session.

The regulations also insert the phrase “Tawjihi absent” if a student was absent in all courses he or she registered for at the general exam.

However, Teachers Association’s President Ibrahim Shabaneh said that providing all students with Tawjihi certificates will ensure a higher social security system as it will allow all students to start their academic or working life from the age of 18

“The student will not have to wait [until passing all subjects of Tawjihi], but will choose his path whether in university, occupational training centre or community college rather than falling to the easy enemy of depression or drugs because he failed to pass all subjects,” Shabaneh told The Jordan Times.

The Association’s president noted that the new regulations respect all students with different capabilities.

The regular students’ grades will be calculated out of 1,400 as of the current academic year for university admission purposes.

The regulations also allowed new regular students and irregular students to sit for the exam with an open number of sessions without losing their right to sit for the exam, as of the 2017/2018 scholastic year.

Despite several attempts to reach officials at the Ministry of Education to enquire about the new regulations, no answer was provided to The Jordan Times.

AMMAN — The theme of this year’s Amman Design Week triggered the imagination of five local designers to come up with a modern installation that highlights one of Jordan’s most pressing issues: the scarcity of water. 

Alongside four other designers, Ahmad Sabbagh presented an installation titled “Water Table”, consisting of a table made up of materials used in making water tanks that are placed at the top of residential buildings in addition to a screen on top of the table projecting details. 

“Our idea is to raise people’s awareness towards the water problem Jordan is facing. We did a projection on water showing a map of the water movement in Jordan based on a timeline starting from the 1950s up to the future. Visitors can therefore compare the changes in water movement across time,” he told The Jordan Times in an interview at the Hangar Exhibition in Ras Al Ain on Saturday.  

Sabbagh said the information showcased in their installation is based on researches and studies.  

“Everyone knows that water is the biggest problem the Kingdom is facing and, as designers, we might not be able to come up with solutions as we are not water experts, but we can highlight this problem,” the designer added.  

Sabbagh explained that it took them a “long time” researching and interviewing water experts. 

Sabbagh said that the water timeline screens a text showing details of the major water projects in the Kingdom, as well as agreements that affected the water movement in Jordan. 

“We wanted to use technology to introduce an entertaining new kind of presentation,” he added.  

He expressed hope that their project would later be exhibited in a museum or at a workplace in the water sector. 

Sabbagh commended the idea of Amman Design Week, noting that the event helps make design accessible for all people.

“We see all segments of society attend the event and this shows that design is for all, not just for specific groups of people because all the works on display are related to all people and their daily life,” he added.  

Regarding the hangar location of the exhibition, he said there is a “special bond” between the location and their project. 

“The hangar location is really important for us. It is located in Ras Al Ain where a river used to pass by, which is closely related to our project. This gives us a special feeling and our table was also placed in the same direction as the water used to flow from in the past,” he concluded. 

AMMAN — Judge Mohammad Shreideh and Judge Hani Kanaan were sworn in before His Majesty King Abdullah as the head of the Public Prosecutor's Office and the First Inspector of the Civil Courts respectively at the Husseiniya Palace on Sunday, according to a Royal Court statement.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by the President of the Judicial Council Mohammad Ghazo and Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh. 

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Sunday stressed the government's eagerness on supporting the agricultural sector to overcome its challenges, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. During a meeting with the Farmers General Union's president and members, Mulki said that the government is determined on solving the issues that face the sector for its social and economic importance.

He noted that the measures that were taken by the government to organise the labour market, including the agricultural sector, aimed to address the imbalances resulting from labourers movement from agriculture to other sectors. He said that the government allows using foreign labourers under the condition that they stay at the same sector.

AMMAN — Water Minister Hazem El Nasser on Sunday opened the supervisory control and data-acquisition (SCADA) centre for the four northern governorates, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The centre, built at an estimated cost of 15.4 million euros, was funded by a grant from Spain. During the opening ceremony, Nasser said that the centre aims to enhance the sustainability of water resources and infrastructure, which will be reflected on citizens lives and the water security.

The centre comes after the establishment of the main operation control at the ministry, which aims at monitoring water sources and controlling them electronically.

AMMAN — Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh announced that the ministry will attract “one or two companies” for the marketing of oil derivatives in the first-half of next year, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Sunday.

Inviting more companies to join those currently operating in the Kingdom (Total, Manaseer Oil and Gas and the Petroleum Refinery Company) will enhance competition and improve the level of services provided to citizens, said Kharabsheh.

The ministry will require renewable energy projects (solar and wind), to include energy storage systems to reduce the losses caused by “congestions on networks”, he added.

Regarding the demands of marketing companies for oil derivatives and fuel stations, he stressed that the ministry “is conducting a full review of all the demands of these institutions in relation to the commissions they charge and the size of the investment, while taking into account the interests of all parties, especially the citizen’s”.

In terms of the storage capacity of the oil derivatives sector, Kharabsheh said: “The completion rate in the two storage capacity projects in Aqaba and Madouna reached about 96 per cent. The two projects are expected to start operating in the first-quarter of 2018, to provide a strategic and operational stock sufficient for the Kingdom for 60 days that we seek to raise to 90 days in the future, in line with international standards.”

The storage capacity programme consists of three projects to be implemented in Amman and Aqaba to ensure the security of supply in oil derivatives and provide a sufficient amount of stored energy for emergency situations while developing the infrastructure of the oil sector. 

On the East Green Passage project, aimed at strengthening ties with Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria, Kharabsheh said that the ministry is working on the implementation of the project to strengthen the network of electricity transmission in that area. 

AMMAN — The association of European and Mediterranean gendarmeries and police forces with military status (FIEP) will change its name to the International Organisation for Gendarmeries and Police Forces upon a Jordanian request.

Jordan will host a preparatory meeting of the FIEB on Friday during which Hussein Hawatmeh, director general of the Gendarmerie Department, will hand over the presidency of the association to the commander of the Turkish gendarmerie forces, according to a source from the Gendarmerie Department.

During its preparatory meeting in Amman in August, FIEP announced that it has accepted the membership of the Palestinian National Security Forces, the source said.

FIEP is an association of national gendarmeries or affiliated corps, encompassing the European and Mediterranean gendarmeries and police forces with military status, according to its website.

The goal of FIEP — which started with the corps of France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal —  is to broaden and strengthen the mutual relationships, to promote an innovative and active reflection on the forms of police co-operation, and to value its model of organisation and structures abroad.  FIEP wants to be recognised by the European authorities as a forum and a structure of separate police co-operation, capable of leading concrete actions, the website said.

AL MASHARE — Balqees, a physically disabled 2nd grader, says she does not only go to school to learn, but most importantly to make friendships and spend a good time with her friends.

The little girl enjoys painting and playing some sports with the rest of her 22 classmates at a school affiliated to Ashab Al Himam for the Persons with Disabilities located in Al Mashare, some 96 kilometres to the northwest of Amman, in the Northern Jordan Valley.

On Sunday, Balqees had a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I am very happy today seeing and meeting with the King,” Balqees told The Jordan Times following a visit by His Majesty King Abdullah to the school as part of a visit to check on the conditions of residents of the town, where officials say disability rates are high.

“When I first came to the school, three years ago, I did not have any friends. I was shy, but later I made several friends and enjoy the good time I spend here,” Balqees said.

Amal Mrooj, a science teacher at the school, said it took her more than three months to be able to integrate Balqees with the rest of the classroom, where she is the only student with a disability.

“At the beginning it was also difficult for the other students to deal with her. There was fear and no clue about her condition. But after I explained her situation and a series of extracurricular activities that do not distinguish between the disabled and the others who are not disabled,” Mrooj told The Jordan Times after the Monarch toured the school and its facilities and met with schoolchildren and staff.

The school, which is run by the society, has 235 students of whom 10 are with disabilities.

The facility was established by 10 co-founders who themselves suffer from disabilities or whose children have disabilities, Adnan Kafrini, the society’s president, told The Jordan Times.

“There are more than 900 persons with disabilities in Al Mashare town and we came up with the idea to create this school to reduce the suffering of the persons with disability and their families,” Kafrini told The Jordan Times.

The school, which offers education up to the sixth grade, is in need for maintenance and the building is rented, he noted.

“We need a solar energy project to generate electricity because we cannot afford the high electricity bills. In our school, we focus on the integration of disabled students with the others and families and students alike have given a positive feedback,” Kafrini added.

After visiting the school, King Abdullah issued directives to provide the society and the school with their needs of equipment and wheelchairs as well as computers and toys for children.

His Majesty ordered conducting maintenance for the school to enable it to continue serving a larger segment of the local community.

During the visit to the town, the King visited a family of six members and checked on their conditions as two of the children suffer from disabilities and issued directives for building a house for the family and providing the necessary care to the children.

King Abdullah also ordered measures to improve the living conditions of the town’s residents and the quality of services.

This will include the establishment of a development centre for the support and the rehabilitation of the disabled persons to be built in line with state-of-the-art standards and to provide services in the near future.

His Majesty also directed officials to look into the conditions of the disabled in the town and provide them with necessary care and support through concerned institutions.

The Monarch also gave instructions for building 16 houses for the impoverished families in the town, carrying out maintenance on several houses.

King Abdullah also issued directives for drafting a comprehensive plan to realise sustainable development in the town and address challenges it faces, including unemployment through assessing available opportunities and optimally utilising resources in cooperation with local communities and elected local councils.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday met in Amman with US Senators James Inhofe and Michael Enzi and an accompanying delegation, according to a Royal Court statement. 

They discussed the strategic relations between Jordan and the United States and ways of expanding cooperation in various fields.

During the meeting, which was attended by HRH Prince Feisal, King Abdullah expressed Jordan's appreciation for the support provided by the US to the Kingdom, especially in the defence field.

The meeting dealt with regional developments, particularly the efforts to revive the peace process and the importance of the US role in this regard.

The meeting also touched on the crises in the region and the efforts aimed at finding political solutions to them, restoring security and stability for their people, in addition to the burdens imposed by the Syrian refugee influx on the national economy and the already meagre resources.

They also went over regional and international efforts in the war on terrorism and the need for a holistic approach to the threat.

The US lawmakers expressed their appreciation for Jordan's efforts under the leadership of His Majesty the King to achieve peace and enhance security and stability in the region, the statement added. 

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan. 

AMMAN — Amman hosts 32 per cent of the 1.4 million refugees currently living in Jordan, a recent report by the World Bank and Feinstein International Centre, that looked into the impact of urban displacement in the MENA cities, found. 

With the multiplication of regional crises and waves of unrest, the issue of forcibly displaced people relocation has become one of the most pressing challenges in the region, according to the report titled “Cities of Refuge in the Middle East”, which stressed that most of these people live outside of camps.

In Jordan, 80 per cent of the Syrian refugees live in host communities across the Kingdom, mostly concentrated in urban areas, according to official figures. This is due to a perception that cities offer better economic opportunities, increased security, a degree of anonymity, greater access to services, and proximity to markets, the report stated.

The urbanisation of forced displacement means the displaced are no longer in isolated areas, but now blend into existing urban populations, creating a number of social, cultural, economic and human challenges. 

"It used to be easy to find a good place to live for a decent price. Now, the rents have gone crazy and we are forced to lower our standards," said Anna Khoury, a 48-year-old resident of Shmeisani, who cited immigration as "the main reason" for this hike. 

Based on global trends, forced displacement in MENA is projected to be protracted and long lasting; more than 80 per cent of refugee crises last for 10 years or more, and two out of five last 20 years or more, the report showed, calling for the implementation of sustainable strategies to address the issue.

“The shift in displacement from camps to towns and cities means changing the paradigm for how humanitarian and development agencies work with displaced populations,” the report stated, adding “instead of providing stand-alone solutions to displaced people in camps or rural areas, the challenge is to support host communities to scale up existing services, shelter and jobs to meet the needs of both the original residents and the displaced”.

A recent study by the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan showed that Jordanians have had a lower sense of security than Syrians since the onset of the refugee crisis, with 49 per cent of Jordanians believing that the existence of refugees outside the camps “highly threatens the security and stability of Jordan”.

“I do not feel safe walking at night anymore. I used to send my children for grocery shopping in the evenings but now, with the new settlements around the area, I do not let them go alone anymore,” said Leila Abu Jaber, a mother of three living in the eastern part of Amman.

“Local governments need to leverage the delivery of services in urban areas to increase confidence and build trust within the communities as a basis for social cohesion,” the report said, noting that approaches that target assistance only for the displaced tend to heighten social tensions between the displaced and host communities. 

However, some consider the blame on Syrians as exaggerated. Myriam Saleh, who recently took her 3-year-old daughter to the doctor for a fever due to a “bacterial infection”, recalled: “The paediatrician instantly blamed the refugees, saying that Jordan was hosting too many and that they bring all kinds of illnesses with them”.

Another issue raised by the report pertained to the varied impact of urban displacement between primary and secondary cities, as well as within cities. 

Capital cities and major urban agglomerations like Amman tend to have the highest numbers of forcibly displaced people, whereas secondary cities near the borders have extremely high proportions of refugees compared to their initial population and are therefore often more affected, the report showed.

In Jordan, the proportion of refugees in the northeast governorates of Mafraq and Irbid relative to their populations amounts to 32 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively, according to government figures published in 2015. 

In addition, those populations tend to concentrate in specific areas, usually low-income neighbourhoods and informal settlements in and adjacent to urban centres, where rents are lower and there is greater availability of informal housing arrangements, the report noted

A recent report by the non-governmental organisation CARE showed that 4 out of 10 Syrians said they had been evicted or forced out of accommodations while in Jordan in 2017, with an especially high rate of evictions in the Zarqa Governorate. 

For the World Bank, this can be explained by the difference in settlements between the capital and other cities. While the capital somehow grew in a steady trend, the spatial expansion of smaller towns like Mafraq, Zaatari and Ramtha in northern Jordan was much more disorganised, with the multiplication of informal housing outside municipal boundaries.

Among its recommendations, the report called for a development approach to expand the focus from reducing the vulnerabilities of the forcibly displaced to also mitigating the impacts on host communities so that these “cities of refuge” do not become the victims of the refugee influx.