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AMMAN — The Education Ministry on Thursday said it would sue the Private School Owners Association for publishing "misleading" facts amid a showdown between the association and the educational authorities.

In a statement received by The Jordan Times, the ministry noted that the association has circulated "false" information on the number of schools that are expected to close down under the new regulations, saying that "many" school owners have underlined that they are not members of the association and that it does not represent them.

A by-law approved by the Cabinet last December entails provisions related to the physical environment of private schools, the number of students and specifications of school yards.

Under the regulations, which went into effect this year, private schools are required to address any violations related to their buildings, including the need to vacate premises that are deemed residential and the necessity of having indoor yards.

Schools should also calculate the number of students they are allowed to accept based on their area in square metres, making sure that each student has an area of one-square-metre  in  classrooms and two square metres in the yard.

Association President Munther Sourani described the ministry’s move as “unfortunate”.

“The ministry is failing to acknowledge our suffering or contain the issue by listening to our point of view”, he told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the association claimed that the by-law would result in closing down 75 per cent of private schools and kindergartens across the Kingdom, and letting go of more than 100,000 students, 12,000 teachers and other staff.

Sourani noted that authorities have allowed schools to operate for a long time without having indoor yards or forcing them to limit the number of students according to their size, noting that there are currently 600,000 private school students in Jordan.

However, the Education Ministry expressed its “shock” over the association’s stance towards the by-law, saying that it would not be applied retroactively on schools licenced according to the old regulations.

“Contrary to what the Private School Owners Association claims, private schools that do not violate the old regulations will not have to change anything or face legal trouble, the ministry said in a statement sent to The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

The statement also added that the ministry has granted private education institutions with a record of violations two years to rectify their situation, particularly when it comes to the physical environment and their capacity.

Sourani charged that the ministry’s private education department has stopped granting licences to schools since June last year, which resulted in having 250 illegally operating private educational institutions, including kindergartens.

However, the ministry disputed such claims, saying that it approved the licencing of 45 privately-run schools.

The ministry also highlighted violations detected by its field inspectors, with the main breaches being related to the number of students and classrooms, teaching international curricula without official approval, teaching materials that are not approved by the education council and having schools in industrial, residential and commercial areas that lack safety requirements.

The ministry accused Sourani of owning one of the violating private schools, while the association leader dismissed these claims.

“They are manipulating facts ...Their argument is weak,” he charged.

The ministry has left it to the judiciary to say the final word.

AMMAN — The Jordan Times' reporter (JT) Muath Freij on Thursday won a Jordan Media Institute (JMI) award on Child Rights for his report titled: "Temporary schools for a hopefully temporary situation: Young Syrian refugees find the right people to help them keep dreaming".

Freij, who has been with JT for eight years, was among three winners in the 2015 Child Rights Media Award dubbed "Learning for All", along with Barakat Zyoud from the Jordan News Agency, Petra, and Al Ghad's Nadine Nimri, according to a JMI statement, which added that 22 reports applied for the award.

The JT reporter and photojournalist previously won several photography prizes.  

The award, launched by the JMI in cooperation with UNICEF and the EU, aimed at enhancing the contributions of the media sector in raising the awareness of comprehensive and qualitative education for all children, especially among the most vulnerable, due to regional conditions which affected millions of children. 

JMI’s Dean Bassem Tweisi said the award was the second to be launched by the institute within its strategy to improve Jordanian journalists' performance and the quality of media productions, the statement added.

“The institute is aware of the need to create a general view and a community agreement on reforming education, especially during the childhood phase”, Tweisi added.

On the sidelines of the award ceremony, UNICEF representative and EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana handed certificates and awards for refugee camps children who participated in a photo programme which aimed at shedding light on children’s lives in host communities and refugee camps.

Around 25 children took part in the programme, which was held under the supervision of a professional photographer, and the photos were published in a booklet that was distributed locally and for relevant institutions, in addition to publishing the photos in the EU headquarters in Brussels.

AMMAN — Fair weather conditions are expected to prevail on Friday as temperatures are forecast to be around their annual average of this time of year, a meteorologist said on Thursday.

“It will be fair in hilly areas and relatively warm in other regions in the Kingdom with northwesterly moderate winds,” Laila Shaheen from the Jordan Metrological Department told The Jordan Times.

Temperatures will range between a high of 19°C and a low of 10°C in Amman and hilly areas, while the department warns of possible low visibility during the early Friday morning in hilly areas.

During the evening, it will be relatively cold in most parts of Jordan and fair in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea regions.

On Saturday, the meteorologist noted that temperatures will soar, recording five to seven degrees above their annual average.

“Temperatures on Saturday will reach a high of 24°C and a low of 16°C in Amman, while standing between a maximum of 30°C and a minimum of 20°C in Irbid,” Shaheen said, adding that there will be a possibility of scattered showers in the southern region.

“Low visibility is possible in desert areas Saturday evening,” she noted.

DEAD SEA — As world nations convened on Thursday to agree on the fine details of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the UN urged countries to ratify it to expedite its implementation.

Adopted in 2013, the global treaty has been signed by 128 countries and ratified by 23 nations so far, but in order to enter into force, the treaty needs to be ratified by 50 countries this year.

When it goes into effect, the convention will ban new mercury mines, phase out existing ones, control measures on air emissions, and put into force an international regulation of the informal sector for artisanal and small-scale gold mining, according to the convention’s website.

The convention also seeks to control the use and trade of mercury and its components and ensure sound management and treatment of contaminated sites.

At the opening of the seventh session of the Intergovernmental Negotiations Committee (INC) on Mercury on the east shores of the Dead Sea, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Deputy Executive Director and UN Assistant Secretary General Ibrahim Thiaw said it took decades for the world to understand the science of mercury poisoning and its implications.

Thiaw warned against the hazards of mercury on food, water and air as well as economies, ecosystems and future generations, highlighting that activities as common as construction, cremation or coal burning release mercury into communities that are oblivious to either its presence or potency.

“But whether the exposure is through lack of choice [or] lack of awareness, the damage is the same,” he said.

Mercury is toxic to human health, posing a particular threat to the development of the child in utero and early in life, according to the World Health Organisation, which said that mercury has different toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.

Thiaw stressed that the world’s now better knowledge of mercury still has dangerous gaps, citing estimates that put man-made mercury emissions at around 2,000 tonnes with a margin of error of more than double that amount.

The UN official told The Jordan Times in an interview on the sidelines of the INC 7 that chemical pollution kills 9 million people each year, highlighting that the world has not woken up yet to the danger of chemical pollution.

He highlighted that Article 3 of the convention seeks to regulate the supply and trade of mercury, noting that the substance needs to be phased out and replaced with “green” chemical substitutes.

INC Chair Ambassador Fernando Lugris said that given the current rate of ratification of the Minamata Convention, the 50th ratification is expected no later than by the end of this year.

Lugris encouraged countries to strive for a swift ratification to protect the health of their people and the environment.

Meanwhile, International Coordinator of the Zero Mercury Working Group Michael Bender said that mercury is present in several products that people use every day, warning against its health hazards.

“We are raising people’s awareness about products that use mercury as an element, including dental silver fillings and women’s skin lighting crèmes,” Bender told The Jordan Times.

He underscored that there are well-known consequences when mercury gets haphazardly produced and traded.

In Jordan, the use of the chemical in several products and industries has been banned, according to Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir, who underscored that the Kingdom was among the first countries to sign and ratify the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

He said at the opening of the conference that the ministry will carry out a comprehensive study on the existence and use of mercury and will amend the specifications of electronics to ensure they are free from the chemical substance.

The INC 7, which is being held at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre, is scheduled to wrap up on Tuesday, according to organisers.

AMMAN — Interior Minister Salameh Hammad, accompanied by Public Security Department (PSD) Director Maj. Gen. Atef Saudi, on Thursday visited the criminal investigation and the anti-narcotics departments, a PSD statement said. 

Hammad commended the professionalism of the PSD, which he described as the best security agency in the region, noting that the department uses the latest technology in its work. 

He voiced his ministry’s continuous support to the criminal investigation and the anti-narcotics departments, offering them anything they need to perform their
duties efficiently.

The minister commended the “huge efforts” exerted by the cadres of the two departments, dealing every day with “important cases and dangerous suspects” and enforcing the law on all to safeguard the security and stability of the Kingdom. 

Saudi said the departments require constant development to stay up to date and offer quality security services to the public, adding that staff members need technical and logistic support to develop their skills and capabilities. 

Hammad and Saudi were briefed on the cases that each of the departments have dealt with since the beginning of the year. 

Anti-Narcotics Department Director Brig. Gen. Anwar Tarawneh and Criminal Investigation Department Director Brig. Gen. Qasim Al Ibrahim briefed Hammad and Saudi on their departments’ plans to improve work and efficiency.

CAIRO — Fourth Generation (4G) services are expected to "boom" in the next few years in the Kingdom due to competitive prices, according to an Orange Jordan executive.

The company's deputy CEO and chief marketing and sales officer, Patrice Loze, said 4G penetration in Jordan could reach 70 per cent by 2020.

Currently, 4G penetration in Jordan is estimated at 11-14 per cent.

“This will be mainly due to increased demand on data in the country,” Loze told The Jordan Times on the sidelines of a press conference in Cairo this week to announce the rebranding of Egypt’s Mobinil into Orange Egypt.

“3G penetration in Jordan is more than 70 per cent and 4G will pick up more very soon as prices in Jordan are very competitive compared to other regional markets,” Loze added. 

According to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, mobile penetration in Jordan reached 152 per cent at the end of June of last year, with some 12.3 million active mobile subscriptions.

Orange Jordan forecasts increased voice traffic between the Kingdom and Egypt following the rebranding of Egypt’s Mobinil into Orange Egypt.

“The rebranding of Egypt’s Mobinil into Orange Egypt paves the way for introducing new services and bundles for customers in the two countries,” Orange Jordan CEO Jérome Hénique told reporters.

Orange Egypt has some 33 million subscribers, according to Orange Egypt officials, while Orange Jordan subscribers reached 4.3 million at the end of last September.

AMMAN — As a protest by University of Jordan (UJ) students against tuition fee hikes entered its 12th day on Thursday, UJ President Ekhleif Tarawneh held a press conference to justify the increase. 

Around 41,382 students are currently enrolled at UJ, of whom 10,441 are in the parallel programme, Tarawneh said. 

“Of these parallel programme students, 3,051 are exempted from paying tuition fees,” he added, “which means that the number of students paying tuition fees at their own expense is 7,390, constituting 17 per cent of the whole population at UJ.” 

The decision to raise tuition fees, approved three years ago, applies to the parallel, international and post-graduate programmes, with the price of some credit hours rising by more than 100 per cent.

Tarawneh added that 4,880 students are enrolled in post-graduate programmes at the university, constituting 11.8 per cent of the whole student body.

“This means the remaining students make up the bigger portion, at 71.2 per cent,” he said, explaining that the hikes affect a limited number of students.

He said that despite the fact that covering the expenses of the larger portion of students costs the university JD20.5 million annually, UJ administration has not and is not planning to raise tuition fees for the regular programme.

“This invalidates the fabrications that claim the university became a place for the rich, especially that most of the students accepted into UJ within this percentage are from the underprivileged and those with limited income,” Tarawneh told reporters.

“When the parallel programme started being implemented, it was to make up for the financial deficit caused by the regular programme,” he said. 

“As for post-graduate students, the total cost of their education [per student], as I said earlier amounts to JD1,566 per year, while the university pays JD706, with an estimated net deficit of JD1.9 million.”

The president stressed that the decision was taken by the board of trustees to narrow the university’s deficit, 

In the presence of six members from the student union on Monday, board members and the president agreed on ending the protest and came to terms; however, as soon as the students told the protesters about the conditions, they agreed to continue the protest since the suggestions did not “meet their demands”.

Tarawneh urged the public not to believe all reports circulated by websites about the protest, adding that since student union elections are coming soon, certain parties are using such protests to promote their ideologies.

At a press conference held later in the day by the Student Rally for the Cancellation of Tuition Fee Hikes, Hisham Ayasrah, a PhD student, said the university’s response to the protest “does not meet the demands of students”.

“Our demands are clear and legitimate, and we want them to reverse the decision,” he told The Jordan Times.

“To those who try to distort our reputations by saying we are supported by parties from outside, we say that we are 5,000 students from different backgrounds and parties. Political parties complement this country and we cannot deny their existence,” Ayasrah added.

He added that students want a quick response to their demands.

“Our demands are only our rights as students; we are using peaceful speech to deliver our message.”

AMMAN — The army said on Thursday that Border Guards received 250 Syrian refugees during the previous 24 hours.

The troops transferred the refugees to shelters and camps, and Royal Medical Services personnel treated the injured, according to an army statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Thursday participated in the 145th session of the Arab League ministerial council meetings in Cairo, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Discussions covered preparations for the next Arab summit. During the meeting, Judeh spoke about combating terrorism and called for resuming Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations to reach a two-state solution.

The minister also spoke about the Syrian crisis, as well as issues in Iraq, Yemen and Libya. Also on Thursday, Judeh attended a closed consultative meeting for Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, and discussed issues on the agenda of the 145th Arab League council at the ministerial level. The meeting also addressed preparations for the upcoming Arab summit, which Mauritania expressed readiness to host in July.

AMMAN — The Civil Defence Department (CDD) on Thursday said it dealt with 111 incidents that resulted in 67 injuries over the previous 24 hours. Four people were injured in a two-vehicle collision in Irbid and two others were injured in a hit-and-run incident on the Amman-Zarqa Highway.

Zarqa CDD extinguished a fire that erupted in a soap factory in Hashemiyeh area, without registering any injuries.

An investigation to determine the cause of the fire was initiated, the CDD added. Moreover, Aqaba CDD contained a fire caused by an overturned fuel tanker in the southern beach area. No one was injured.