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AMMAN — If Jordan fails to capitalise on technical and vocational training in the coming years, it will be a major setback to its endeavours to reach sustainable development, experts said on Wednesday. 

At a time when the country is in dire need of skilled human resources, the overall ratio of students enrolled in vocational and technical training stood at 17.5 per cent in 2011, 17.7 per cent in 2012 and 17 per cent in 2013, according to a report prepared by the Higher Population Council (HPC) with the support of the UNFPA. 

“Technical and vocational training should enjoy special attention as a top national priority and a need for the future of our economy and young people,” said HRH Princess Basma, UNFPA goodwill ambassador.

Speaking at a ceremony to announce the outcomes of the State of Jordan’s Population Report 2014, the princess stressed the importance of changing young Jordanians’ mentality regarding vocational work.

“After years of focusing on universities and academic education, one of the main challenges now is to alter young people’s approach towards vocations,” she said. 

According to the report, titled “Employment and Vocational Training and Technology Education”, there is a high discrepancy in employment of vocational training graduates when comparing the two sexes between 2011 and 2013 — 74.2 per cent males and 25.8 per cent females. 

In addition, the report showed that 39 per cent of vocational and technical training graduates earn less than JD300 per month, while “no indication of any official action to increase the attractiveness of this sector to encourage more students to enrol in this type of education” was evident between 2011 and 2013.

Nearly 87 per cent of General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) students chose to enrol in the academic stream in the last few years, the report said. It also described private sector participation in vocational and technical training as “very low”. 

The report focuses on strategies that can be pursued in order to raise the number and efficiency of vocational graduates, particularly so that Jordan can benefit from the demographic opportunity it is projected to reach in 2030. 

The demographic opportunity is a stage in a country’s development in which the ratio of dependents to workers is lowest. 

“Vocational and technical training and education play a pivotal role in pushing economic growth forward and alleviating poverty and unemployment,” HPC Secretary General Sawsan Majali said. 

“The population council will continue to draw projections and policies that show decision-makers the effects of demographic changes on development,” she added.

The report also provides a thorough analysis of challenges facing strategies governing the vocational and technical training sector, from curricula to employment opportunities.  

Its main recommendations include establishing a higher council for human resources development, assessing the quality of vocational and technical training programmes and increasing the participation of local workers in the market.

In a discussion held during the ceremony, Labour Minister Nidal Katamine noted that the ministry and the private sector have arrived at an “acceptable” employment rate for guest workers in light of the sudden population increase due to the refugee crises.

Meanwhile, Vocational Training Corporation Director General Majed Habashneh underlined the need for the private sector to lead vocational training programmes, as it is the main employer of their graduates.

AMMAN — Eight private schools are threatened with closure if they fail to obtain the proper licence from the Education Ministry in the next two week, an official said Wednesday.

Qasem Khateeb, director of the ministry’s private education department, said seven of the schools in question are in the capital, while one is in Irbid, some 80km north of Amman. 

The schools were given two weeks to prove their ability to provide “proper” education to students and receive an official licence from the ministry, according to the director.

Khateeb explained that the ministry decided to close down the schools because they did not abide by the requirement to obtain a licence before hiring employees and accepting applications from students.

“Around 2,300 students are currently enrolled in the unlicensed schools in Amman, while less than 100 students attend the school in Irbid,” Khateeb told The Jordan Times.

“If the schools are not licensed in the next two weeks, they will be closed permanently,” he added.

Students will continue to attend classes at these schools during the two-week period without changes to their schedules, according to Khateeb. 

“Many families withdrew their children after finding out that the schools were not officially recognised by the ministry,” he said.

The private education department has formed a committee to plan the transfer of already enrolled students to other schools if necessary, based on their area of residence, Khateeb noted.

He added that these schools only opened this academic year, which started two months ago, so it would be easy to transfer students to licensed schools and manage certificates.

Commenting on the ministry’s decision, the Private School Owners Association said the process of obtaining a private school licence is complicated, involving five different departments and lacking a specific mechanism.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the association said the process is often tied to the moods of officials, and — at times — takes four months.

The Ministry of Education closed two other schools in Amman earlier this year for health and safety reasons, Khateeb said.

There are around 550 private schools in Amman alone and almost the same number across the Kingdom, according to the official.

AMMAN — A Social Development Ministry centre has received 10 female victims of human trafficking so far this year, offering them temporary shelter, according to the minister.

In a statement to The Jordan Times, Social Development Minister Reem Abu Hassan said eight of these women are Bangladeshi, one is from the Philippines and one is from Kenya.

The ministry, Abu Hassan noted, provides social protection services to all women in Jordan, regardless of their nationality.

The centre serves as a shelter for men, women and children who are victims of human trafficking, covering their basic needs and providing counselling and rehabilitation services, the statement quoted the minister as saying.

Legal counselling services are also provided in cooperation with civil society organisations, she said.

A temporary section at Dar Al Wifaq Osari Home has also been prepared to receive human trafficking victims, the minister added.

Dar Al Wifaq, which has a branch in Amman and another in Irbid, serves females over 14 years old who are victims of domestic violence, according to Abu Hassan.

The Amman branch, which was inaugurated in 2007, has received 346 cases this year, including 32 Syrians, while the Irbid centre, which opened in March this year, has received 25 victim so far, including seven Syrians.

AMMAN — The government on Wednesday approved the formation of the International Advisory Group (IAG), which will be tasked with reviewing Jordan’s progress in implementing its nuclear programme.

The group is chaired by former prime minister Marouf Bakhit, while its members include former energy minister Khaled Shraideh and seven world-renowned international experts in this field, Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) Chairman Khaled Toukan told The Jordan Times.

“The group will provide consultations on Jordan’s strategy to deal with nuclear waste, and the best options and mechanisms to finance the nuclear power plant,” Toukan said.

The IAG will also provide consultations in the field of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear security, and raise awareness among the public to rally support for the project, he added.

Members will also provide an objective assessment of Jordan’s choice of the technology used in the nuclear reactors, the former minister noted.

The members will assess the readiness and competence of graduates of the Jordan University of Science and Technology’s nuclear engineering department and compare it with other departments at international universities and centres to gauge their readiness to shoulder responsibilities in the national nuclear programme.

The IAG will also prepare an annual report on Jordan’s achievements in the nuclear programme and submit it to the prime minister, according to Toukan. 

In addition, it will work on enhancing communication with the IAEA and national and international organisations in the field of atomic energy, he noted.

Also on Wednesday, the government announced the formation of the Jordan Nuclear Power Company’s board of directors that comprises stakeholders in the nuclear power plants project and representatives of local communities.

Chaired by Senate President and former prime minister Faisal Fayez, the board members are the JAEC chairman; the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) director general; director general of As Samra Electric Power Company; and secretaries general of the energy, finance and water ministries.

In addition, Mijhem Hadith Khreisha and Mohammad Barakat Al Zuheir will represent the local community on the board.

In October 2013, Jordan contracted Russia’s Rosatom to build the country’s first two nuclear reactors that are expected to be operational by 2022.

Under the deal, Rosatom has agreed to take on 49 per cent of the plants’ $10 billion construction and operation costs on a build-own-operate basis, with the government shouldering the remaining 51 per cent and retaining a majority share in the plants.

IAG members

•   Marouf Bakhit — former prime minister 

•   Khaled Shraideh — former energy minister 

•   Lady Barbara Judge — former chairperson of the UK Atomic Energy Authority

•   Rolf Huer — director general of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN))

•   Mike Weightman — former chief inspector of nuclear installations in the UK and executive
     head of ONR

•   Werner Burkart — former deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

•   Peter B. Lyons — former assistant secretary at the US department of energy’s office of
     nuclear energy

•   Akira Omoto — former commissioner of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission

•   Richard Meserve — president emeritus at Carnegie Institution for Science

AMMAN — More than 48,500 healthcare sector workers on Wednesday pledged to improve the quality of services as part of a nationwide campaign.

The Change Day Initiative, which took place Wednesday for the second consecutive year in cooperation with Hikma Pharmaceuticals, encourages healthcare providers’ personal commitment to improve services through additional efforts and without incurring extra costs.

Implemented by the Health Care Accreditation Council (HCAC), under the patronage of HRH Princess Muna, the campaign witnessed the participation of doctors and nurses, in addition to medical and administrative staff at local private and public entities.

Princess Muna renewed her pledge from last year, committing to supporting legislation that enhances specialised nursing roles in order to improve health services provided to the Jordanian community.

For his part, Health Minister Ali Hiasat pledged to support a culture of excellence and creativity across service-providing entities at the ministry.

The one-day campaign establishes a habit of promoting quality healthcare service throughout the year, HCAC Chairman Amjad Aryan told The Jordan Times on Wednesday, adding that the quality of services is what distinguishes one medical institution from another.

“The Change Day Initiative encourages attempts to enhance the level of services provided, with the ultimate goal of offering a better experience for the patients,” he said.

Aryan, who is also founder and president of the Pharmacy One chain, said the initiative was a chance for him to visit six branches and interact with customers, as well as give them instructions on medicine usage, after eight years of office work.

“The role of the pharmacist is not just to sell medicines… he or she is an expert in medication who provides advice to patients,” he said, adding that he decided to conduct field visits more frequently.

Over 3,000 employees at Prince Hamzah Hospital took part in the initiative for the second year, although change in public hospitals could be difficult to achieve due to their high workload and limited resources, noted Bashar Nsour, change leader responsible for quality at the hospital.

His pledge was to spread awareness of the initiative among employees and help them carry out their online pledges, as well as to facilitate the campaign’s implementation.

“I wanted to make change happen and to make my colleagues believe in their ability to carry out change,” Nsour told The Jordan Times over the phone, adding that he sought to include workers at administrative departments, such as accounting, human resources and registration.

“One accountant committed to going to patients and processing their documents without them having to stand in line,” he said.

Nsour noted that nurses at the paediatric department organised a full-day schedule of awareness and entertainment activities for patients.

The hospital’s management decided to designate a day of change on a monthly basis in order to offer patients a better experience, he said.

Students in related fields were actively involved in the campaign, according to the HCAC.

Aya Saleh, a physiotherapy student at the University of Jordan, pledged to arrive early to her classes, while another student, Mohammad Risheh, pledged to spread a positive atmosphere at the faculty, according to the HCAC website.

Last year, some 10,000 individuals working in the healthcare sector pledged to provide improved services to patients at hospitals and healthcare centres across the Kingdom.

AMMAN — Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) agents have foiled an attempt to smuggle some 150,000 narcotic pills out of the country, the Public Security Department (PSD) said Wednesday.

The agents had received a tip that individuals were preparing to smuggle “a large amount” of drugs out of Jordan by hiding them in water pipes to be transported from Amman in a truck, according to a PSD statement.

Investigations led to identifying the “prime suspect” and his whereabouts, with one AND team stopping and searching the truck and another raiding his house and arresting him.

Agents found the 150,000 pills hidden in an “elaborate manner” in the pipes, the statement said.

Investigations led to two other suspects and a search for them is under way.

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, an AND official said the Syrian conflict, the refugee crisis and turmoil in surrounding countries are to blame for the new illicit drug smuggling methods the Kingdom has been witnessing over the past four years.

In recent incidents, smugglers resorted to using sheep, car tyres, biscuit packets, packages of sweets, olives, large marble blocks and children’s beds to hide illegal narcotics.

The AND official said the department is constantly following up on the latest methods of smuggling and takes “all leads and tips very seriously”.

Speaking at a lecture in September, Deputy Public Security Department Director for Criminal Investigation Affairs Maj. Gen. Tahsin Momani said 5,490 drug cases were registered in the first six months of 2015, 468 of which were related to trafficking, 36 to addiction and 4,986 to possession.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Public Sector Development and UNDP have started preparing a policy paper on public administration in a bid to boost the efficiency and capacity of the Kingdom’s public sector, according to a ministry statement released Wednesday. 

Public Sector Development Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh said the document will help the government build its institutional capacities to be able to cope with recent challenges such as economic conditions and the Syrian crisis. 

He explained that the policy paper will include recommendations on public sector policies and measures. 

The project, according to Khawaldeh, aims at enhancing the efficiency of public agencies and the decision-making process in addition to reforming the revenue and expenditure system. 

Specialists in the field of public policy development started preparing the document on November 1, the minister said in the statement.

Khawaldeh met one of the experts on Tuesday and briefed him on projects the ministry is implementing, the statement said.

The expert will review the current situation of public administration in Jordan and meet with other stakeholders to discuss the main pillars of the policy paper, according to the ministry. 

In late October, UNDP organised a regional conference in Jordan on public administration in Arab countries with the participation of senior officials, academia and representatives from the public and private sectors, the statement said. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and Spanish King Felipe VI discussed regional issues and relations between Jordan and Spain over the phone on Wednesday, according to a Royal Court statement.

Later on Wednesday, His Majesty left on a private visit to London, another Royal Court statement said. HRH Prince Feisal was sworn in as Regent.

AMMAN — Cultural heritage in Jerusalem is threatened now more than ever by systematic Judaisation and Israeli restrictions of Muslim worshippers' entry to Al Aqsa Mosque, Jordan said on Wednesday. Delivering the Kingdom's address at UNESCO's 38th general conference in Paris, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat said Jordan is ready to support efforts to safeguard the heritage of the holy city in general and Islamic and Christian sites in particular.

Thneibat — who also heads the national committee for education, culture and science — highlighted Jordan's commitment to safeguarding peace and security by entrenching ties between nations through culture and education, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

AMMAN — In the presence of HRH Princess Basma and US Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells, the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) and USAID signed a project implementation letter on Wednesday, according to a USAID statement.

Under the deal, USAID commits to providing technical support to JNCW’s policy efforts, organisational capacity, and communications and networking through its Takamol Programme. "USAID Takamol aims to support JNCW’s role as the primary national policy institution safeguarding women’s rights and gender equality in Jordan," the statement said.