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AMMAN — The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the draft laws of higher education and Jordanian universities 2017, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The new Jordanian Universities Law aims to enhance the independence of universities and to empower them.

Under the law, presidents of universities who reach the legal retirement age should stay in office until they finish their tenure.

The law also gives the boards of trustees the authority to administer universities’ financial resources such as fees and properties. 

Under the law, universities will allocate 5 per cent of their annual budgets for scientific research and innovation.

It also allows transferring professors between universities while preserving their academic and financial rights and raising the retirement age of professors from 70 to 75 years old.

The new Higher Education Law aims to limit the Higher Education Council’s authorities to drafting the general policies of the sector and deciding on the tasks of the universities’ secretaries general.

The law stipulates establishing a fund affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education titled “Fund for the Support of Scientific Research and Innovation”.

The fund is to be financed by an allocation from the general budget and allocations for scientific research, training, publications, conferences and internships that were not used after three years.

It will also be funded with 1 per cent of the public shareholding companies’ net profit, as stipulated by the Income Tax Law.     

AMMAN — The first anti-discriminatory law targetting people with disabilities made major changes in legislations to facilitate and enhance the daily lives of people with disabilities, according to Senator Muhannad Azzeh. 

During a press conference Wednesday to present the new act that entered into effect on September 1, Azzeh, secretary general of the Higher Council for Affairs of People with Disabilities (HCD), said it holds  ministries and public institutions responsible for shaping strategies, plans and programmes to facilitate the lives of people with disabilities. 

The new law, which had been under way since 2012, outlined the responsibility and duties of each institution towards people with disabilities.

It ensures that people with disabilities receive equal services in a legislative environment that protects their rights in all sectors, according to the senator. 

The law also states that any action depriving a person with a disability from a right or a freedom is a type of violence and a legal violation, Azzeh said.

Those who commit violations against people with disabilities should be punished with imprisonment of less than a year, and those who refuse to employ a qualified person with a disability will be fined between JD3,000 and JD5,000, he noted.

The education, health, tourism, facilitation and accessibility, tax-exemptions, employment, sports and media sectors are all responsible for providing services within the timeframe defined by the law, the senator added. 

For its part, the Ministry of Education must provide reasonable facilities for people with disabilities in government and private schools in order to prevent exclusion of any student based on his or her physical capabilities. The ministry will also be responsible for editing the curricula with concepts that improve the rights of people with disabilities, and to bar licences of inaccessible schools. 

Additionally, higher education will be made more accessible to people with disabilities as the act stipulates that they will only pay 10 to 25 per cent of the fees set for public universities programmes. 

 Health insurance will cover wider range treatments such as physiotherapy and better medical services.

A new ID card will be issued for people with disabilities to assist them in accessing educational and health services as well as tax exemptions, he noted.

As for the Ministry of Tourism, it will be responsible for making tourist and archeological sites accessible for people with disabilities.

The law also obligates the Greater Amman Municipality and Central Traffic Department with providing traffic lights  with an inbuilt sound system for blind people and special signs that mark the beginning and the end of the road. 

“I won’t say that people will feel the difference next year, but surely, difference will be prevalent in three to four years,” Azzeh stated. 

AMMAN — Construction of a $12-million project to connect households in west Amman’s Naour District to the sewage network is under way, according to officials at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

The project is being implemented in two phases, Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazem Al-Naser, said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, noting that it is funded by a grant from the USAID.

“The project will uplift the services and environmental conditions in Naour District by linking areas in western Amman, which are not currently covered with sewage services, to the wastewater network,” Al-Naser said in the statement.

The ministry recently signed the agreement for the project’s second phase, under which 34km of main wastewater pipelines will be extended and 1,400 household sewage pipes will be installed to serve 10,000 subscribers in Marj Al Hamam, Um Al Quttain, Naour and Manshiyeh.

Ministry spokesperson Omar Salameh said that the project will improve the health and environment conditions and protect surface and underground water sources from pollution by ending reliance on cesspits.

The project is one of the many ventures listed in the ministry’s $930-million strategy to increase households’ connectivity to the wastewater network in Amman and Zarqa, Salameh told The Jordan Times.

Launched in April, the Amman and Zarqa wastewater strategy seeks to raise households’ connectivity to the wastewater network from the current 80 per cent to 90 per cent, by the year 2025.

It entails the implementation of 21 projects, including the construction of new wastewater treatment plants, the expansion and refurbishment of existing plants, and the installation of new sewage networks.

With the execution of the projects, the Kingdom will increase the amount of treated wastewater from the current 115 million cubic metres per year, to 250 million cubic metres, by the year 2025, according to the ministry.

The treated wastewater will increasingly substitute the use of fresh water for industrial purposes, as well as the irrigation of certain cultivations in the Jordan Valley and south of Amman.

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday presented the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in an award ceremony held in New York City, citing his ability to transform “compassion into action” on the global refugee crisis, a statement from Her Majesty’s office said.

The Queen took part in the annual Atlantic Council event, attended by about 450 global government, business and civil society leaders, during a working visit to the US with His Majesty King Abdullah. 

Trudeau was chosen to receive this award due to his “respect for universal freedom, diversity and prosperity, and his promotion of open trade and open borders”, according to a statement from the Atlantic Council. Other honourees included President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in, as well as pianist and philanthropist Lang Lang.

Speaking at the eighth annual Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards, Her Majesty commended Trudeau’s leadership and high regard for the values of “openness, generosity, big-heartedness and broad-mindedness”.

Queen Rania also recalled co-chairing a session on refugees and migrants alongside Trudeau at the UN headquarters last year, where he stated that all countries have a responsibility to do more to solve the global refugee crisis.

“For me, coming from Jordan, it was especially powerful to hear a Western leader speak this way,” Her Majesty said.

A previous honouree of the Atlantic Council, Queen Rania received the Global Citizen Award in 2013 in recognition of her humanitarian efforts and support of global education. She dedicated the award to the people of Jordan.

Founded in 1961, the Atlantic Council is a non-partisan international organisation that works to galvanise the transatlantic community to tackle a host of global challenges. It annually recognises outstanding individuals who exhibit distinguished leadership in policy, business, military and the arts, according to the statement.

AMMAN — The Culture Ministry has established a committee to implement a project for the preservation of documented heritage through archiving audiovisual heritage, an official said on Wednesday.

The project, in cooperation with UNESCO, aims to protect the legacy from negligence, flawed storage conditions, fragility and the eradication of the physical forms of storage, according to the official. 

It also aims to set the Kingdom as a regional model in the field, based on its security, stability and specialised human potential, Hikmat Nawayseh, director of the heritage department at the Culture Ministry told The Jordan Times.

The committee’s main roles will be providing candidate materials to the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme, training archive cadres, supervising the national heritage registry, directing the search for documentary heritage, and protecting property rights, Nawayseh said.

He noted that the committee has several specialised sub-committees, including the National World Memory Committee, the National Documentation Committee, the Education and Awareness Committee, and the Audiovisual Archives Committee.

The committee includes representatives from the Culture Ministry, the Tourism Ministry, the National Library Department, the Jordan Radio and Television Foundation, the Royal Jordanian Documentation Centre, the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, the Manuscript and Documentation Centre at the University of Jordan, the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, the Greater Amman Municipality and the UNESCO office in Amman.

UNESCO established the  Memory of the World Programme in 1992. Impetus originally came from a growing awareness of the parlous state of preservation of, and access to, documentary heritage in various parts of the world, according to UNESCO website. 

War and social upheaval, as well as severe lack of resources, have worsened problems, which have existed for centuries, the website said. 

Significant collections worldwide have suffered a variety of fates, including looting and dispersal, illegal trading, destruction, inadequate housing and funding. Much has vanished forever; much is endangered. However, UNESCO notes that it is possible for missing documentary heritage to be rediscovered, according to the website.

AMMAN — As a part of German Week 2017, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on Monday organised an event titled “Special Demonstration” in Al Quds Secondary School for Girls in Jabal Nuzha.

The event saw the inauguration of new facilities built by GIZ and local contractors including a football demonstration by school children and a group of trainers led by Maryana Haddad — a member of the Jordanian national team.

Ismael Nouns, a team leader at GIZ, said that the agency has developed a new prototype designed for school facilities, focusing on restrooms, sanitation management, hygiene, playgrounds and gardens.

GIZ partnered with Al Quds Secondary School for Girls to implement the programme Sport for Development, said Ulrich Klar, adviser to the programme. 

“We are focusing on teachers who can train a big group of pupils on the small football field and with limited material,” Klar noted, stressing that the programme is a tool to educate youth in sports and social skills, two “significant elements”. 

Due to the regional conflicts, large numbers of Syrian and Iraqi refugees live in local host communities. The goal of this initiative is to promote a healthy lifestyle, camaraderie and peaceful coexistence among them.

“Get the Ball Rolling” is a manual for teachers, social workers and coaches, Klar continued, helping them to become role models inside the school, in the sport field and even outside of them. 

“We offer teachers further education to make them familiar with our programme,” Klar stressed.

Nouns commended the cooperation with the Ministry of Education and called for a strengthened institutional cooperation with the new minister regarding the national strategy. 

“GIZ supports improvement of that strategy and it strengthens the management and implementation of extra-curricular activities,” he highlighted.

Laura Stolz, a junior adviser responsible for the project management and coordination, said: “As I have always practised sports myself, I know how important and powerful sports are in developing children’s personalities and in helping them become responsible and strong adults.” 

 “In Jordan, with all the challenges we are facing, sports can really bring Jordanian and refugee children together and can make a positive impact on their lives, she continued.

GIZ has already trained 74 teachers and coaches from more than 30 schools across the Kingdom, Stolz said, noting that more trainings are coming up within the next few months.

For Haddad, this initiative is a combination of professionally organised football training and targeted support for personality development of young people.

“I really enjoy working with the children and fostering their development, regardless of their nationality, gender or age. In my role as a coach, I also grow and try to be a role model for the kids, both on and off the pitch,” Haddad highlighted.

AMMAN —  Citizen group “Out&About”, known for organising walks around Amman with figures like Her Majesty Queen Rania and HRH Princess Iman, is organising “I am the Other” on Friday, an evening of entertainment celebrating the value of acceptance among citizens.

Held at Mazraati farm, on airport road, the event aims to gather people from all walks of life to enjoy an evening of entertainment together, regardless of their difference of background, nationality, age and ability, according to the organisers.

“The idea of the event is to accept and celebrate our differences,” said Dalia Bushnaq, one of the founders of Out&About, adding that “yes, we are all different, but we can share good times and treat each other kindly regardless of any differences”.

Spreading the values of acceptance, love, forgiveness, peace and benevolence was the idea behind the creation of “Out&About Group” in 2010. Starting off with three people, the group now counts over 22,000 members on its social platform.

Dalia Bushnaq, Bashar Haddad and Rami Doleh began their initiative with the aim of establishing a “global society with a unified set of values helping to spread the concept of global citizenship around Jordan through various social, cultural and charity activities,” Bushnaq told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

For its seventh year anniversary, Out&About seeks to shed light on the value of acceptance, notably by inviting children with mental disabilities to perform a concert during the event. “We are also trying to invite elderly from homes but we haven’t had the confirmation yet,” Bushnaq noted.

Reflecting their pursuit for diversity and acceptance, the organisers chose a location accessible for all: “People with disabilities, elderly people and parents with strollers can easily access the site,” Haddad said. 

They also set up free carpooling services for people to access the event’s location more easily. 

During the event, participants will be able to take part in farming activities, including planting and watering.

They will enjoy a potluck dinner with international foods, as well as traditional games designed by the participants. Interactive theatre sessions will also be available, with training and acting offered by the Out&About group members.

Celebrating the diversity of the participants, the evening will include traditional dances and music from various countries.

“We want to embody the values of acceptance and diversity that we promote, not just theoretically talk about them,” said Rami Doleh.

“Our event’s name ‘I Am the Other’ comes from the idea of ‘I Am the Other for the Other’. It means we are all different for the person in front of us; yet, we share many things in common,” the founding trio explained. 

“We believe that society is a beautiful mixture, a wonderful mosaic made of tiny little different pieces,” Bushnaq explained, concluding “our differences enrich our lives”.

Currently, the group offers regular activities that include the Weekly Book Club, a Sports Day, Discussion Circles, the Hand in Hand initiative, which designs and implements charity programmes, and Mashaweer, which organises walks around the Kingdom while introducing participants to the history and culture behind those streets, among others.

AMMAN — The Danish-Arab Partnership Programme (DAPP) on Tuesday announced the relaunch of its plan for another five years to continue promoting reform processes to strengthen long-term stability, prosperity and progress in Jordan, a DAPP statement said 

During the launch ceremony, attended by high-ranking government officials and leading civil society stakeholders, the government’s coordinator for human rights, Basel Tarawneh, stressed that this multiparty cooperation is “an expression of the government in promoting human rights and dialogue”. 

He said His Majesty King Abdullah’s government has been committed to developing the national human rights system through partnerships and dialogue with international partners to improve the performance of the public institutions in the service of citizens, according to the statement.

Since 2003, DAPP has been the flagship programme for Danish support to the region, addressing current challenges such as the high unemployment rate, especially among young people, while supporting the continued advancement of human rights standards.

Together with Jordanian partners, DAPP has been supporting political and economic youth engagement, job creation, promotion of women’s rights, strengthening of independent media and efforts against torture, the statement said.

DIGNITY, one of the civil society organisations supported by DAPP, works for the advancement of human rights, including the prevention of torture, according to the statement.

DIGNITY Country Representative Lubna Nasser said during the event: “Our partners’ ownership and commitment to the fight against torture is what makes the difference in pushing for a better Jordan every single day.”

The new phase builds on existing partnerships between Jordanian and Danish organisations, including human rights institutions, women’s rights organisations, media organisations, and trade unions. 

Head of the Danish Programme Office in Jordan, Anne Kahl stated: “The partnerships between Jordanian and Danish organisations are at the core of our efforts. The exchange of experience, knowledge and networks is what really boosts impact and sustainability.”

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday sent a cable to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, offering his condolences after a deadly earthquake hit central Mexico, a Royal Court statement said. In the cable, the King expressed his sympathies to the president and the victims’ families, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

AMMAN — The Association of International Affairs (AIA) on Tuesday hosted Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, who delivered a lecture on the prominent issues at the local and regional levels, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Tarawneh highlighted Jordan's ability and determination, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, to move forward with the comprehensive reform process, despite the difficult regional challenges and conditions.

He stressed that Jordan constantly calls for political solutions to the crises in the region to end people's suffering and achieve security and stability. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the AIA Abdul Salam Al Majali attended the lecture alongside Chairman of the Board of Directors Taher Al Masri, the members of the AIA, and Secretary General of the Royal Court Yousef Issawi.