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AMMAN –– Around 1.9 million students headed to the first day of school on Tuesday, attending classes at 6,924 public, private, military and UNRWA schools. 

Some 190,000 students are first graders this year.

But in Qasabet Al Mafraq District, some Syrian students are still waiting to be able to go to school, said Ahmad Khalidi, director of the central district’s education department.

Nearly 8,000 Syrian pupils go to the eight schools allocated for them in the district, and 1,500 Syrians are enrolled in other public schools, according to Khalidi.

“And still there are nearly 400 Syrian students who are on the waiting list. The capacity of our schools has reached its maximum,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The district’s 168 public schools are operating on the two-shift system only for Syrian students and no longer for Jordanians.

“The double shift was very disturbing for Jordanian students and their parents,” noted Khalidi.

According to the Education Ministry, a total of 140,000 Syrian students are enrolled in the Kingdom’s schools.

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat said Syrian students are not the only non-Jordanians enrolled in the Kingdom’s schools, which also receive Libyans and Iraqis among other nationalities.

The ministry has taken alternative measures in a bid to address some of the challenges, such as resorting to the double-shift system in some schools. 

“The right to education is granted to each child in Jordan and this is not compromised out of our moral and legal duty, but the pressure is too much to bear,” Thneibat said at the time.

AMMAN — The Lower House on Tuesday passed the 2015 amendments to the law governing the work of exchange agencies, prohibiting international currency exchange companies from opening branches in Jordan.

Under MPs’ amendments, currency exchange agencies violating the provisions of the law will face a penalty of closure or licence cancellation in addition to a fine ranging from JD4,000 to JD100,000.

In a previous session, the House linked the licensing of currency exchange agencies to gaining approval from the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ).

No money exchange shop shall be officially registered at concerned institutions unless it gains the initial approval of the CBJ board, MPs insisted, expanding the CBJ’s jurisdiction in licensing and regulating exchange agencies.

As endorsed by the Lower House’s Economic and Investment Committee and passed by a majority of lawmakers, exchange shops require approval from the CBJ board in order to be able to recruit non-Jordanians, and under a set quota.

The law, according to its validating reasons, is aimed at regulating the exchange business in the Kingdom.

The House is scheduled to convene on Wednesday to discuss the draft municipalities law and the 2015 amendments to the Independent Elections Commission Law which were referred back to deputies by the Senate.

AMMAN — The Tourism Ministry launched the unified entry ticket “Jordan Pass”, which enables tourists to visit various archaeological sites and museums in the Kingdom at a price of JD70 (around $99).

The ticket is aimed at encouraging tourists to visit several attractions in Jordan and easing their movement between the various locations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Tourists who buy the ticket will also be encouraged to extend their stay in Jordan.

Tourism Minister Nayef Al Fayez said the ticket will save time and effort for tourists and facilitate their entry to Jordan’s various attractions.

The new ticket system will also enrich visitors’ experiences in Jordan, the minister said in a statement carried by Petra.

Jordan Tourism Board Managing Director Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat said the board will launch a campaign in foreign markets to promote the Jordan Pass and encourage visitors to buy it.

Earlier on Tuesday, during a visit to the Jordan Society of Travel and Tourism Agents, Nayef said the number of tourists coming to Jordan is on the rise, citing a 38 per cent increase in Arab visitors recorded in July.

A total of 422,254 tourists visited Jordan in July, registering a 20 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, including some 337,000 overnight visitors, 30 per cent higher than last July, the minister said in August.

The sector’s revenues in July stood at JD250.6 million, compared with JD196.6 million during the same month last year, according to the ministry’s figures based on information provided by the Central Bank of Jordan.

At a meeting with the press, Fayez said the sector is “moving in the right direction although some issues still remain”.

He cited the government-funded campaigns implemented by the JTB as a major move that contributed to a higher influx of tourists, in addition to cancelling entry visa fees for visitors who buy the unified ticket for 39 tourist sites.

The minister said the number of Arab-Israelis visiting Jordan and staying over three nights rose by 50 per cent due to decreasing visa fees from JD40 to JD10.

In addition to its rich ancient archaeological sites, Jordan is also home to holy Islamic and Christian sites and shrines that attract tourists from around the world.

In August, 2,676 tourists visited the tombs of the companions of Prophet Mohammad who died in Mutah Battle, Osama Tarawneh, supervisor of the Southern Mazar shrines said on Tuesday.

He said 844 tourists came from Arab countries, 832 Muslims came from foreign countries, and 1,000 visitors were from within Jordan, Petra reported.

AMMAN — The husband and son of a deputy who allegedly fired live ammunition during a wedding in Naour last week turned themselves in on Tuesday, MP Naayem Eiadat and officials said.

“My 49-year-old husband and 21-year-old son went willingly to the police station on Tuesday after learning that there was a subpoena against them,” Eiadat said.

The pair also handed officers on duty the weapon allegedly used in the shooting incident, Eiadat told The Jordan Times.

On Saturday, police said they were searching for them after a video of a wedding reception went viral showing the two men firing live rounds during the festivity.

“We did not know that they were wanted until the head of the Naour police station called to inform me of that,” Eiadat, an Amman deputy who won her seat through the women’s quota, said.

The lawmaker stressed that she was against festive shooting and that “we are all below the law.”

“They are both in prison for the time being until further investigation,” Eiadat added.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani told The Jordan Times on Tuesday that the pair were ordered detained at a detention centre for one week.

At a meeting on Sunday with dignitaries representing Amman communities, His Majesty King Abdullah stressed that no one is above the law. “Even if it were my son who is shooting… I would ask security bodies to take the same measures against him.”

Last week, the PSD announced stiff measures against violators, including locking up any groom whose wedding includes festive shooting.

Last week, the Public Security Department (PSD) announced stiff measures against violators, including locking up any groom whose wedding includes festive shooting.

The PSD pledged to conduct campaigns in various governorates and arrest any person who owns a gun without a licence and/or arrest people who fire weapons on any occasion, and individuals who sell weapons and ammunition for this purpose.

According to official figures released last October, three people were killed and 41 injured by festive firing in 2014.

At least 21 cases were registered last year against anonymous assailants, where shooters could not be identified, according to the PSD.

AMMAN — Oussama Ferchichi’s passion for civil change is influencing his brother to stay clean from drug use.

After being part of the Mosharaka (participation) initiative, the 22-year-old Tunisian has become equipped with the necessary tools to advocate for human and civil rights.

“Humans as individuals are what concern me and not ideologies…the training I received in Mosharaka allowed me to work on themes that I think present the main concerns in my country,” the psychology student told The Jordan Times on the sidelines of the Regional Youth Forum Mosharaka: Let’s Work Together, on Tuesday.

With the initiative focusing on young people in marginalised and underprivileged communities in five countries — Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Morocco — around 150 young people between the ages of 20 and 30 have been trained to tackle issues of concern to their respective regions.

Youth from Tunisia, for example, chose municipal elections, drug abuse and people with disabilities as the main causes to tackle.

“Drug addiction and occasional abuse of drugs are considered a phenomenon in parts of Tunisia. The law is not helping them get clean as they have to carry an ID after being released from prison that shows they used to be addicts,” Ferchichi said.

On the other hand, he noted that people with disabilities still face social stigmas that prevents their advancement, while young people are reluctant to practise their democratic right to vote.

“When I see my brother talking to his friends about what I do and how he is convinced with our projects, I realise that what I am doing is reaping tangible benefits,” noted Ferchichi.

“I know how addicts feel and I learned from my own experience how to deal with them without being judgmental,” he added.

In Jordan, Mosharaka engaged young people from east Amman and Madaba, who chose to work on illiteracy and sexual harassment, said Nadjet Bouda, of Canadian organisation Equitas, who noted that the forum is the last phase of Mosharaka.

The three-day forum brings together around 35 participants — youth leaders, civil society and representatives of funding organisations — to share “innovative strategies and good practices to promote youth leadership and participation in the protection and promotion of human rights and democracy” in the Middle East and North Africa, according to organisers.

Participants are highlighting benefits brought about by their projects, which they developed over the past three years, and offering their recommendations for better outcomes.

The forum is organised by Equitas in cooperation with the Amman-based Arab Network for Civic Education and partner organisations in the participating countries, with the support of the EU, the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.

According to Equitas Executive Director Ian Hamilton, what makes Mosharaka a unique initiative is the participatory and human-rights approach it is based on.

“Youths should feel connected to their communities and be able to develop solutions to some of their challenges… if they feel excluded or that their ideas are not taken seriously, they will connect with other groups’ ideologies,” he told The Jordan Times.

The initiative is also concerned with young people’s overall economic situation; therefore, they receive training in skills useful for them to seek employment, according to Hamilton.

During the opening ceremony, government coordinator on human rights Basel Tarawneh highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts to change people’s mindsets towards human rights and laws enacted in this regard, such as the Access to Information Law.

Founded in Canada in 1967, Equitas — International Centre for Human Rights Education is a nonprofit organisation that works for the advancement of equality, social justice and respect for human dignity in Canada and around the world through human rights education programmes.

AMMAN – The Greater Amman Municipality will start paving 17 streets in the capital on Friday, a GAM official said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times Tuesday.

Zaid Abbadi, director of the road maintenance unit, said the work will cover the streets of Wasfi Al Tal, Medina Munwarah, Zahran, Queen Zein Al Sharaf, Shareef Naser Bin Jameel, Issam Ajlouni, Omar Bin Abdul Azziz, King Hussein, Prince Rashid, Sirat and Hadhara.

Maintenance operations, which will start every night from 11pm until 6am, will also include the intersection of Prince Ali Street, with Saeed Al Mufti and Jamil Tutanji streets and the intersections of Mecca and King Faisal streets.

Work is expected to wrap up before the beginning of Eid Al Adha holiday, which is expected to start in late September, according to the Islamic lunar calendar.

AMMAN — A man infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus died on Tuesday, registering the second death of the virus this year, according to the Health Ministry.

Mohammad Abdullat, director of the ministry’s communicable disease control department, said the deceased was a 56-year-old Jordanian who suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney failure. Moreover, he recently underwent open heart surgery.

A total of six cases were registered this year including this recent case. Two patients are currently in critical condition, while the other three are improving.

AMMAN — The Labour Ministry on Tuesday renewed its call on guest workers whose work permits have expired to immediately renew them and pay the fines for delays to avoid being deported.

The ministry said guest workers will be deported if they are apprehended after the end of the grace period granted to them, which concludes by the end of October.

Under Article 12 of the Labour Law, it is not allowed to hire any guest workers unless they obtain a work permit from the ministry.

DOHA — Interior Minister Salameh Hammad on Tuesday met with Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Al Attiyah and discussed bilateral ties and the latest regional developments.

On Monday evening, Hammad held talks with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani on means to enhance security cooperation.

The two sides also discussed illicit trafficking and its impact on Arab countries. During the meeting, Hammad said his visit to Doha came in response to an invitation from Sheikh Abdullah aiming at strengthening Jordanian-Qatari relations in all fields. 

AMMAN — The Jordan Press Association (JPA) on Tuesday denounced Israel’s “continued acts of aggression” on Al Aqsa Mosque and its “desecration of Islamic and Christian sites” and preventing Palestinian worshippers from performing Friday prayers.

The JPA commended Jordan’s position in support of the Palestinian people and their steadfastness.