Local

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Wednesday said the Awqaf Ministry has taken short- and long-term measures to address the shortage of qualified imams.

The ministry is working with local universities that teach Sharia (Islamic law) to open a BA programme for imams, Ensour said in a letter to Islamic Action Front (IAF) Secretary General Hamzah Mansour, who has urged the government to refrain from recruiting Egyptian clerics for the Kingdom’s mosques, expressing concerns over a possible sectarian spillover from Egypt as a result of such a decision.

Ensour said the decision to recruit Egyptian imams was taken for religious purposes and will not lead to divisions in the Kingdom, commending Mansour’s letter as a reflection of the Islamists’ keenness on safeguarding national interests.

However, he noted that the IAF would have reacted differently if Jordan had hired Egyptian clerics when Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was in power.

AMMAN — The higher education system in Jordan requires an overall revision to link it primarily to market needs, a veteran educational expert said on Wednesday.

Former education minister Said Tal noted that in any well-organised market there is a workforce hierarchy that incorporates craftsmen, technicians, professionals, specialists and experts, and this “formula is completely absent in the local market”.

“In all advanced countries, technicians outnumber professionals 33 to 50 except in Jordan, where it is the exact opposite,” Tal said at a seminar organised by Al Rai Centre for Studies. 

Tal added that the imbalances in the local market are the direct result of the imbalanced education system. 

“It is being said that there are around one million guest workers in Jordan and a considerable number of jobless Jordanians, but this is all due to poor education planning.”

Tal noted that during the 1970s Jordanians used to do all the jobs that are nowadays taken by guest workers. 

“At that time, Jordanians used to be painters, builders, plumbers, gardeners — everything.”

“What needs to be considered in Jordan is the quality and philosophy of education as well as the link between education outputs and market needs.”

The former minister said the basic function, goal and programmes of the Balqa Applied University (BAU), which encompasses various community colleges around the Kingdom, needs to be reconsidered.

“This university was primarily meant to enhance technical education in the Kingdom... This institution was called a university to attract as many students as possible. The BAU is now operating contrary to its very purpose,” he said.

Describing the country’s education system as varying between good and very good, but not excellent, Tal noted that the Kingdom has all the makings of an excellent education system. 

“All we need to do is to activate our existing assets.”

Education in advanced countries is a profession that is carried out by licensed teachers, Tal stressed, adding that the same case should apply in Jordan.

He expressed hope that the Jordan Teachers Association would cooperate with universities to initiate a teacher training programme that all educators must attend.  

AMMAN — Microsoft Jordan announced the winners of Imagine Cup 2014 Jordan during a ceremony held under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania at the King Hussein Business Park on Tuesday. 

ICT Minister Azzam Sleit attended the event on behalf of Queen Rania, according to a statement released by Microsoft Jordan on Wednesday.

Targeting students between the ages of 16 and 26, Imagine Cup 2014 Jordan featured the participation of 11 teams who competed in three different categories. 

The teams were required to innovate solutions that help them realise their dreams and enrich the lives of others around them using Microsoft’s latest technology platforms, the statement said. 

Petra University’s Mission Possible team won the World Citizenship category, which honours developers of software applications that show the greatest potential to make a positive contribution to the betterment of humanity. 

Princess Sumaya University for Technology’s Amel Watan team was named winner of the Games category which recognises developers of outstanding games created using Microsoft platforms.

The Pen team from the Jordan University of Science and Technology won the Innovation category, which honours developers of applications that deliver accessible innovations and advance major platforms such as social networks, search engines, classified advertisements or online shopping, according to the statement. 

The Pen was the overall winner of Imagine Cup 2014 Jordan and will go on to represent the country at the Imagine Cup Arab Semi- Finals in Qatar, during which it will compete against participants from 22 Arab countries. 

Winners of the semi- finals will qualify for the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals 2014, slated to take place in July in Seattle, USA. 

Launched 11 years ago, Imagine Cup is geared towards encouraging and empowering students to make a change, according to Microsoft. 

AMMAN — The Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) on Tuesday addressed four violations on state-owned land in Ghor Al Safi, according to a government official.

The operations were part of a nationwide campaign to end all trespassing on Treasury land, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation official told The Jordan Times on condition of anonymity.

“On the first day of the campaign, the emergency, maintenance and illegal uses teams at the JVA sealed two agricultural ponds, demolished one structure and removed irrigation water pipes from a three-dunum plot of land,” the official said.

The campaign is being implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, the Public Security Department and the Gendarmerie Department, he added.

“The JVA and the ministry will continue implementing the campaign in all parts of the country until all violations on the state-owned land are addressed. All violators will be referred for legal action and held accountable for any damage incurred as a result of the violation,” the source noted.

The Senate endorsed the 2002 temporary agriculture law in mid- April after introducing amendments. 

The law imposes stricter penalties and fines on violations related to forests, state-owned land and pastures.

AMMAN — Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) agents arrested 13 drug dealers during a week-long campaign in Amman, an official source said Wednesday.

AND agents also arrested 43 drug users during the campaign, the source told The Jordan Times.

“We received information that five people were running an illegal drug distribution ring and employed eight other men to distribute narcotics in Amman,” the official explained.

The official added that AND agents arrested the 13 men over the course of a week in different suburbs of the capital without any major incidents.

“It was an important operation to us because five of the 13 men are considered the main suppliers for the rest of the group.”

AND agents seized 17,000 illegal narcotic pills and seven kilogrammes of hashish in this operation, according to a statement by the Public Security Department.

All 56 suspects were referred to the State Security Court prosecution for further questioning and indictment, according to the source.

Authorities are leading a comprehensive campaign against drug trafficking in Amman, detaining suspects and confiscating illegal narcotics.

Last year, 8,945 suspects were involved in around 6,504 drug cases, according to AND officials.

AMMAN — Jordan has signed memoranda of understanding with 22 local and international companies to build wind-run power plants, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said on Wednesday.

The companies have until the end of May to submit their technical and financial offers for building the plants, Energy Minister Mohammad Hamed told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

“The government will select six companies out of the 22. Each of the six companies will build a 50-megwatt (MW) wind-run power plant,” said the minister, who expects the names of the winning companies to be announced during the third quarter of this year.

Hamed added that the Cabinet is also expected to issue a decision in May approving a $187 million project by the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) to build a 90MW wind-operated power station.

“When the Cabinet approves the project, the ministry will start procedures to sign a final agreement with the Korean company,” Hamed said.

He added that the plant, which will be located in Fujeij 150 kilometres south of Amman, is expected to be operational and connected to the grid by late 2015.

In 2013, the ministry signed an initial agreement with KEPCO for building the plant.

Renewable energy currently accounts for less than 1 per cent of the energy mix in Jordan. The Kingdom seeks to increase its contribution to 10 per cent by 2020.

Energy experts have often called for implementing wind energy projects in the Kingdom, since wind speeds in Jordan are as high as 7.5 metres per second and are up to 11.5 metres per second in hilly areas. 

AMMAN — The Senate on Wednesday endorsed the draft amendments to the Jordan Press Association (JPA) Law along with several other bills.

The Lower House endorsed the bill one week ago, introducing changes to provisions on the JPA council elections and membership requirements.

In its last meeting in the 17th Parliament’s ordinary session, the Senate endorsed the draft law that grants the association the right to invest its assets and establish clubs and centres to support the profession and its members.

The Senate did not change the MPs’ version of the bill, recommending that the government submit another draft amendment to add the deputy JPA president to the organisational structure of the association council.

The Upper House also endorsed the amended Water Authority of Jordan Law, which sets stricter penalties for those who abuse water networks or dig illegal wells and pollute reservoirs.

In the same session, the Senate endorsed the Lower House’s changes to the draft anti-terrorism law, which maintains the death penalty for certain crimes tagged as terror acts.

Among other amendments, the bill stipulates that those who commit terrorist crimes that result in the death of innocent people, partial or total damage of facilities and buildings, and entail the use of explosives, poisonous, chemical, biochemical or radioactive materials, face the death sentence.

But violations of a milder nature are punishable by five years to life imprisonment, according to the draft law.

Furthermore, the Senate endorsed the draft military courts law, which limits the formation of these courts to include military judges only, in line with international standards.

The current ordinary session concludes on May 3 under a Royal Decree issued by His Majesty King Abdullah last week to prorogue Parliament. Another decree is expected to be issued soon to summon Parliament for an extraordinary session.

AMMAN — The Syrian refugee crisis is accentuating the need to tackle pre-existing labour market issues in Jordan, according to an ILO report. 

These challenges focus on high Jordanian youth unemployment as well as the prevalence of low-quality and low-productivity jobs. 

The report, “The Impact of the Syrian refugee Crisis on the Labour Market in Jordan: A Preliminary Analysis”, found that the extent to which Syrians have displaced Jordanian workers has been limited. Unemployment has not increased in the governorates which host most Syrian refugees. However, the economic activity rate of Syrians (48.5 per cent) is estimated to be higher than Jordanians (36.5 per cent) and male Syrian refugees are working informally in sectors not traditionally attractive to Jordanians, such as agriculture and construction. 

Holistic approach needed

“It’s important to remember that employment conditions for a significant proportion of Jordanians were already dire prior to the arrival of Syrian refugees,” said Mary Kawar, senior employment specialist at the ILO Regional Office for the Arab States. 

“Therefore, any approach to address the labour market impact of the Syrian refugee crisis has to take on [a] holistic approach in terms of the rights of Syrian refugees to live in dignity and have access to livelihoods, the need for Jordanians to have access to decent jobs and for both to have social peace,’’ Kawar added.

The report emphasised that since the Jordanian economy is characterised by small informal enterprises, Syrian refugees are likely to be gradually integrated into the job market over time as they develop contacts and relationships with Jordanian employers in host communities.

Drawing upon secondary data sources from the Jordanian government and international organisations, the report aims to provide some indication of the Syrian refugee crisis’s impact until more concrete data is available. 

The ILO, in conjunction with the Department of Statistics (DoS) and the Ministry of Labour, is currently conducting a more comprehensive labour market study covering both Jordanians and Syrian refugees. 

Downward wage pressures

According to the report, greater irregular employment coupled with downward pressure on wages were the main impacts of increased Syrian labour market activity. These impacts were attributed to weak enforcement of laws that give employers leeway to hire informally and pay below the national monthly minimum wage of JD190 ($268). 

According to DoS data from 2011, daily wages for the lowest skilled private sector occupations (excluding agriculture) averaged about JD10 ($14), compared to JD15 ($21) for the economy as a whole. 

Given that more than half of the poor in Jordan work and around half of poor household income is derived from wages, downward pressure on wages threatens to push some households below the official poverty line (14.4 per cent).

The way forward

The ILO concludes that any approach to address the labour market impact of Syrian refugees must be comprehensive in terms of addressing fundamental labour market issues in Jordan, not just through creating new jobs, but also through:

•Improving working conditions and wages;

•Addressing informal employment;

•Strengthening migration management;

•Expediting the implementation of Jordan’s National Employment Policy;

•Strengthening the role of the Ministry of Labour, the private sector and trade unions in order to improve labour market governance; and

•Improving national policy coordination and coherence to maximise job creation potential.

AMMAN –– Prices of main oil derivatives increased slightly by five to 10 fils per litre as of midnight Wednesday.

Based on a decision taken by the government’s pricing committee, effective May 1, one litre of unleaded 90-octane gasoline is now JD0.840, up from JD0.835 last month, while one litre of 95-octane is JD1.025 compared with JD1.015 in April.

Both diesel and kerosene are JD0.675 per litre on the new price list, up from JD0.670.

The price of cooking gas, which is also used by households for heating purposes, remains unchanged at JD10 per cylinder under the committee’s decision, which was announced by Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Hatem Halawani.

Fuel prices, except for gas, are no longer subsidised by the government, which lifted oil subsidies in November 2012.

A government pricing committee meets monthly to adjust prices in a manner that corresponds to changes on the international market.

The committee, comprising representatives from the ministries of energy and finance, and the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company, calculates the updates based on average international prices during the preceding 30 days and other costs such as freight and handling, and announces a new price list every month.

AMMAN — While the demand for jobs has increased in the Kingdom, the number of vacancies has declined over the past few years, according to a study issued by the Phenix Centre for Economic and Informatics Studies.

The study released on the occasion of Labour Day which is annually observed on May 1 — said 25,000 job opportunities were available in Jordan in 2013, compared to 50,000 in 2012, 55,000 in 2011, and 66,000 in 2010.

“The drop in job availability is one of the reasons for the high unemployment rates in the past few years,” said Ahmad Awad, president of the centre.

He noted that over the past five years, the unemployment rate ranged between 11 per cent and 14 per cent.

The unemployment rate among women was double the rate among men.

Moreover, unemployment among males in the 16- to 24-year age bracket is between 27.9 per cent and 36.6 per cent, which is a “shocking” figure, according to Awad.

The decline in job availability in Jordan, according to the study, is due to the drop in the number of industrial projects that usually provide more jobs for labourers.

In addition, there is a gap between labour market needs and the number of graduates.

The study also listed a number of challenges facing Jordanian labourers, such as low wages. 

According to Social Security Corporation (SSC) figures, the average monthly income for subscribers is JD416, a figure that was also reported by the Department of Statistics (DoS).

The Phenix Centre study showed that the average monthly income for 22 per cent of Jordanian labourers is JD200 or less, while 46.1 per cent of them are paid JD300 or less, and 72.1 per cent receive JD400 or less.

Meanwhile, a DoS statement issued on Wednesday said guest workers are competing with Jordanians over jobs, which exacerbates unemployment in the Kingdom.

DoS said the SSC had around 1 million subscribers in 2013, compared with 366,000 in 2000. 

The minimum monthly wage has also risen to JD190, DoS said, noting that the average monthly wage increased from around JD60 in the mid-1970s to JD211 in the mid-1990s. 

By 2011, the average monthly wage reached JD416.

Women’s participation in the labour force remains low, according to DoS figures, which showed that one in every 7,057 Jordanian women over the age of 15 was economically active in 2012, compared with one in every 1,056 men in the same age category.