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AMMAN — In its 27th iteration, the European Film Festival is focusing on children and young people to attract a wider audience to its screenings in Amman and beyond, organisers said on Wednesday. 

“It is very important to be outside Amman because it is a good opportunity for us to show European values and culture in these cities. Last year’s experience was very successful and the theme will definitely bring more children and family members to the festival,” Ibrahim Laafia, first counsellor and head of the operations section at the EU Delegation in Jordan, said at a press conference held at the Royal Film Commission Jordan (RFC) in Amman.

The festival, which opens in Amman next Sunday, features screenings in Zarqa, Irbid, Karak and Jerash.

Nada Doumani, RFC communications and culture manager, said the films that will be screened in the governorates were carefully selected.

“Obviously that limits our choice of films, and they have to be subtitled in Arabic. That is why we have two European movies screened outside Amman,” she told The Jordan Times.  

“Lucky Loser” from the Czech Republic and “The Miracle of Bern” from Germany will be screened in the governorates this year.

Doumani noted that the number of audience members outside the capital has been on the rise in the past years. 

“We have seen a consistent increase in the number of viewers during the past years and this year will bring Jordanian film critics to the governorates to discuss the movies with the audience,” she added.  

The newly appointed head of the EU National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) Maria Rosaria Papa described last year’s experience in Zarqa as successful, where the films met with a good reaction from the local community.   

Under the patronage of HRH Princess Rym Ali, the festival is scheduled to open at Haya Cultural Centre with a screening of the Dutch narrative feature “Regret!” which addresses the issue of school bullying.  

Laafia said the festival — organised in cooperation with the RFC — is a joint initiative between the EU delegation to Jordan, embassies of EU member states in Amman and EUNIC Jordan. 

He noted that there will be a photography competition as part of the festival and an exhibition will be held under the theme of the festival “Children and Youth”.

“A total of 13 European movies and one Jordanian movie will be screened during the festival. We will also screen movies at universities located in governorates such as Maan, Tafileh, Zarqa, Irbid and Ajloun,” Laafia added. 

The EU official said the festival is a tool to present European traditions to local communities in Jordan, stressing the EU’s support for the local cinema industry. 

“The United”, a film by Jordanian director Amin Matalqa, caps off the festival in Amman on September 19. It will be screened outdoors at the Hashemite Square in downtown Amman.

Screenings in the governorates will be between September 20 and October 14.

Doumani said screenings will be also held at the Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan’s largest camp located in the northeastern city of Mafraq.  

The screenings in Amman will take place every day at the Haya Cultural Centre at 8 pm and in EUNIC Cultural Centres such as Società Dante Alighieri, Institut Francais, Goethe Institut and Instituto Cervantes at 5pm, according to a statement from the organisers.

More information on the festival is available on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/eufilmjo.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Wednesday said unstable regional conditions make it a must that Jordan continue to pay serious attention to its domestic conditions and to work on safeguarding its borders. 

Speaking at a meeting with heads of unions and professional associations, the premier addressed foremost local issues and the repercussions of regional developments on the Kingdom. 

Ensour expressed confidence in the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, stressing that the military has been on alert for three years now and this depletes resources. 

Stressing the important role of Jordanian citizens and their awareness, he said Jordan has no reason to worry because citizens’ awareness is the first shield against any threat.

Despite regional developments and the impact of the closure of the northern and eastern borders, the Kingdom’s economic condition is good, said the prime minister, citing a drop in inflation rate by around 1 per cent, coupled with higher reserves at the Central Bank of Jordan.  

The premier also highlighted political reform steps through newly adopted and endorsed legislative bills at the meeting, also attended by Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani, Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Khaled Kalaldeh and Legislation and Opinion Bureau President Nofan Ajarmeh.   

With regards to the Palestinian issue, he said there are no signs of a coming breakthrough or close solutions to any of the other regional crises, pointing out that the Palestinian issue is at a stalemate.

Ensour said no steps have been taken to resolve the issue, pointing out that Israel’s procrastination and its policies hinder chances to arrive at a solution to the region’s central and main cause. 

During a recent meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas highlighted the Palestinian conditions and stumbling negotiations, the premier said.

At the meeting, King Abdullah briefed Abbas on his evaluation of the situation of the Palestinian issue and stressed his support for the Palestinians to arrive at a just and viable solution to end the conflict, Ensour told the attendees. 

AMMAN — The Education Ministry's decision to merge a number of public schools where small numbers of students are enrolled was met with outrage by students and parents with the start of the scholastic year on Tuesday.

Parents of students in a number of schools in Irbid's Southern Mazar District, and Zarqa and Jerash have decided not to send their children to school, citing the long distance and lack of transportation means.

"The school's new location is very problematic for us. My three children are not old enough to reach school on their own and my husband does not own a car," Um Nofal told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday.

The Education Ministry's reassurances that it will offer transportation to students who have been affected by the mergers did not comfort the Jerash resident.

"It used to take my children ten minutes to reach school on foot. With the school now 5km away, it is really difficult for them to walk. I don't think the ministry will be able to secure transport for all these students," said the mother of five.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Mohammad Thneibat was quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as saying that the ministry will not go back on its merger decision, which he said ensures more successful education outcomes.

"Merging public schools where the number of students is below a set limit will contribute to enhancing the quality of education and the performance of teachers," he noted during a field visit to Mansheiet Bani Hassan District schools in Mafraq on Tuesday.

Thneibat reiterated the ministry's commitment to offer transportation to students affected by the mergers.

However, the Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) said there is more to the issue than changing the location of schools.

"Schools included in the merging process are those located in very remote areas. Merging them with schools in less remote regions means they will be closed," JTA Spokesperson Ayman Okour told The Jordan Times.

He added that this will have social implications on local communities, especially since schools should be open to society.

"Schools have an enlightening role, especially in remote areas," said Okour.

On the other hand, he called on the ministry to streamline the merging process based on clear regulations.

The Education Ministry said Wednesday it has merged 41 schools around the Kingdom, where fewer than 20 students are enrolled.

Ministry Spokesperson Walid Jallad said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the mergers will enable the ministry to clear 33 rented buildings and three schools operating on the two-shift system.

There are 47 schools where 20 students or fewer are enrolled, and where 267 educators work in total, according to Petra.

The ministry, Jallad said, will later implement a campaign to merge schools with 21-30 students enrolled, which are 40 in total.

With the mergers, the ministry would save around JD6 million, he added, according to Petra.

AMMAN — The Income and Sales Tax Department has adopted e-mail as the means to contact taxpayers to notify them of dues, decisions, memoranda, or official letters issued by the department in accordance with the law.

The department asked taxpayers to provide it with their e-mail addresses to facilitate communication. 

AMMAN — Civil society institutions play an important role in helping Public Security Department (PSD) personnel do their job and know the security and traffic needs of local communities, PSD Director Maj. Gen. Atef Saudi said Wednesday.

Receiving a delegation of popular and youth movement representatives from Maan, some 220km south of Amman, Saudi added that the continuous cooperation with civil society institutions contributes to overcoming obstacles and achieving a higher level of security services, according to a PSD statement.

The delegates said efforts aimed at developing the country have to be in cooperation with stakeholders such as the PSD.

AMMAN — The Public Sector Development Ministry has implemented a project to build the capacities of human resources units in the ministries of political and parliamentary affairs, justice and social development, the ministry’s spokesperson, Saad Aamur, said Wednesday.

The project included transferring knowledge to these units’ employees in human resources development and administration, Aamur added in a ministry statement.

The project identified improvement points in these units such as registering employees in training courses related to their work, supplying these units with personnel specialised in human resources planning and development, he noted.

AMMAN — The Department of Lands and Survey (DLS) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Jordan Housing Developers Association (JHDA) to open an office for lands at the syndicate’s headquarters, a JHDA statement said Wednesday.

DLS Director General Moeen Al Sayegh signed the memorandum with JHDA President Kamal Awamleh.

Sayegh said the memo aims at establishing an office to serve members of the JHDA.

He also said the office enhances partnership between the public and private sectors.

Awamleh said the office will offer several services, including issuing property deeds and land blueprints.

He noted that the JHDA encompasses more than 2,700 companies working in the housing sector.

AMMAN — Deputies on Wednesday went back on their previous amendment to the draft municipalities law that stipulated a bachelor's degree as the minimum academic requirement for candidates for mayor.

Endorsing the Upper House's amendments to the 2015 municipalities law, Lower House members scrapped the article they themselves previously added to the bill on the grounds, as senators insisted, that education credentials should not prevent eligible candidates from running for the post. 

In mid-August, the Lower House had endorsed an article requiring candidates for the position of mayor in areas with a population of 100,000 or more to be bachelor’s degree holders.

Candidates running for the position of mayor in areas with a population of more than 15,000 and less than 100,000 should, under deputies' amendments, hold a high school degree as the minimum requirement.

However, deputies insisted on their amendments to the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) Law to include appointments in the oversight agency under the jurisdiction of the Civil Service Bureau.

Attending Wednesday's session, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour supported the Lower House's changes to the IEC Law, explaining that they serve the government's endeavour to merge independent public institutions. 

"Running the Jordanian state with tens of laws, by-laws and regulations is highly disturbing for the government and it creates inequality and injustice among public employees," Ensour said.

The laws will now be referred to the Senate for deliberations.

AMMAN — The Senate’s joint legal and administrative committee on Wednesday passed the draft decentralisation law as referred from the Lower House with some amendments.

The amendments allocate 10 per cent of governorate council seats for women with the highest number of votes, on the condition that no more than one seat is to be allocated for women in each electoral district.

According to the law, 75 per cent of members of each governorate council will be elected, while the other 25 per cent will be appointed by the Cabinet.

The joint committee’s decision cancelled the bachelor’s degree as a minimum academic requirement to run for presidency and membership of governorate councils.

AMMAN — The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) signed a memorandum of understanding with the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) to offer both citizens and expatriates the option of donating online for the benefit of KHCF through the eFAWATEERcom portal (www.eFAWATEERcom.jo) in partnership with Madfoo3atCom for Electronic Payments Company (MadfooatCom) as the main operator, a KHCF statement said Wednesday.

“This is a very important portal to the foundation, as it will offer a broad range of channels through which individuals and corporations in Jordan and throughout the region and the world can donate easily to benefit our cause… Every penny counts in the fight against cancer,” a statement quoted HH Princess Dina Mired, director general of KHCF, as saying. For his part, Adel Sharkas, CBJ deputy governor, said the King Hussein Cancer Centre has become “a beacon of hope for cancer patients all over the region”.