Cabinet approves amended by-law for vehicle licensing fees

AMMAN — The Council of Ministers on Wednesday approved several pieces of legislation. 

The Cabinet approved a draft by-law on the establishment and licensing of private and foreign educational institutions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

According to Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat, the by-law provides an overall framework for private schools and it also focuses on the quality of education at these institutes. 

Earlier this week, the Cabinet endorsed a by-law on accountability and education quality at the Education Ministry as well as a by-law on training, the minister added, noting that the three by-laws are part of a series of regulations that the Cabinet will be issuing to improve the quality of education. 

The Cabinet also approved an amended draft by-law on driving licences and vehicles’ licensing and registration fees, as agreed on with the Lower House this week.  

Following a closed-door meeting with the House’s Permanent Bureau ahead of a session to discuss the 2016 general budget bill, the government revisited its recent increase of car licensing fees, leaving the cost of licences for vehicles whose engines are sized 3,000cc and below unchanged.

Moreover, the Cabinet approved the issuance of government-guaranteed  Islamic bonds, sukuk, for the Water Authority of Jordan to cover the financing needs for Disi project purchases during the coming year, worth around JD100 million.

During the meeting, the Cabinet also approved the draft Energy and Mineral Resources Regulatory Commission (EMRC) law, which is in line with the restructuring of government institutions and public departments, under which the electricity regulatory commission was renamed to become the EMRC.