Bylaw on student politics draws mixed reactions

AMMAN — Political activists and government officials expressed mixed views over the recent changes to a law pertaining to students’ political life at Jordanian university campuses.

On Sunday, the Cabinet approved a bylaw to regulate the practice of student partisan activities at higher education institutions for 2022. 

Independent Election Commission Board of Commissioners member Raed Adwan praised the bylaws for fulfilling the ambitions and aspirations of the Jordanian government.

The bylaw came in accordance with the government’s seriousness to boost students’ participation in political life, Adwan told The Jordan Times.

“The bylaw ensured a balance within the university environment as a community service, an educational and scientific institute and the right of the students to enrol in political life,” Adwan said.

The Jordanian government is a leader in the region in producing “advanced bylaws that safeguard the rights of students and political life”, Adwan stressed.

“If the government deems that there is a need to adopt any changes to the bylaw, then it could easily be done,” Adwan said. 

However, the National Campaign for Defending Students’ Rights (Thabahtoona) Coordinator Fakher Daas told The Jordan Times he was not content with the bylaw, saying it failed to meet the campaign’s expectations.

“The bylaw basically worked against the basic idea of encouraging the youth to join the political work on campus by obliging them to submit a formal request to conduct an activity that is restricted by a certain time and day,” Daas said.

The bylaw also maintained the dean’s privilege to allow, interfere in or ban any political activity conducted on campus or during the activity itself, Daas added. 

Thabahtoona also issued a statement on Tuesday criticising the government’s step, “which did not take into consideration any of the campaign’s demands.

The government held several local activities and pledged to adopt fundamental amendments to the draft, “but we were surprised that the Council of Ministers approved the draft as it is and without any significant amendments,” Thabahtoona said in its statement. 

The Jordanian Democratic Youth League "Rashad" also published a statement criticising one of the rules pertaining to obtaining the approval of the university deans’ offices to hold activities.

“Rashad fears that the rules in the bylaw will curb students’ freedom to practise their political party’s activities on campus,” the statement said.

Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Azmi Mahafzah was quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as saying that “endorsing this bylaw reflects the state's commitment to the political will in moving ahead with the political modernisation process”. 

Mahafzah said that from now on, no student will be held accountable for practising any partisan activity inside higher education institutions that are required to amend their regulations in accordance with this bylaw.

A survey conducted by the Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS) in August revealed that 67 per cent of Jordanians oppose the involvement of university students in political parties.

The survey, which came as part of the Jordanian Index Poll Series, indicated that only one-third of citizens support the participation of university students in political parties.

According to the survey, fears of inciting discord and enmity are among the reasons behind the majority’s opposition to university students’ partisan affiliation.

Further, only 21 per cent of those surveyed were in favour of organising partisan activities on campus, the survey said.

Of those in support of on-campus partisan activities, 38 per cent said that such activities help create political awareness among students; 36 per cent said that they would enable students contribute new ideas; and 11 per cent said they encourage students to affiliate with political parties.