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AMMAN — South Korea is, as always, ready to share the knowledge and experiences it has acquired in order to help boost development in Jordan, which is a safe hub for investments and a gateway to regional markets, said South Korean Ambassador to Amman Lee Jae-wan on Tuesday. 

"We have great and friendly relations with Jordan and we are keen on placing our expertise at the disposal of Jordan… We are actively engaged in several development projects in Jordan, and we will continue," the ambassador said an in interview with The Jordan Times ahead of South Korea’s national day, which the embassy will mark on Wednesday.

Since the initiation of diplomatic ties in 1962, South Korea and Jordan have forged a “comprehensive and friendly” cooperation, he said.

"On the political level, we have been enjoying excellent relations crowned by several high-level visits… and we believe there is a large room for increasing cooperation in the field of trade and other areas," said the Korean diplomat.

South Korea, he said, has been conducting various projects and programmes in the areas of education, health, water management and e-administration, among others.

"We are happy to see that the Korea-funded Jordan Korea Technology Institute in Zarqa has cultivated approximately 12,000 highly skilled industrial workers that are immediately needed by the labour market in Jordan," he said.

"Korea will continue its support of projects in vocational education and training, such as the project for constructing a specialised industrial school in Zarqa," Lee added.

During the interview, the ambassador indicated that many Korean companies are investing in Jordan, using their cutting-edge expertise to contribute towards fulfilling major national tasks.

The Korea Electric Power Corporation built two natural gas power generating plants in Al Manakher and Al Qatrana, which are currently producing approximately 24 per cent of Jordan’s total electricity. 

The company is also currently conducting two wind power plants in Fujeij and Tafileh.

On tourism, the ambassador said the number of Korean tourists visiting Jordan is on the rise.

"Jordan has recently become one of the favourite tourist destinations for Koreans. The number of Korean people visiting Jordan reached approximately 32,000 last year. With the recent availability of direct charter flights from Seoul, I expect the figure to be greatly increasing soon," he said.

Lee highlighted the need for more efforts to promote tourism and joint business and trade activities, which will help increase trade exchange between the two countries, which reached around $600 million in 2018.

"The good news is that Jordan's exports to South Korea reached $65 million by the end of August, increasing by around 150 per cent when compared to the same period of last year," said the ambassador.

Recognising Jordan's role in the region, he said: "The Government of the Republic of Korea highly appreciates the leading role His Majesty King Abdullah has played in the peace process and the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in the region and beyond."

"We also commend the Kingdom’s continuous efforts to address the Syrian refugee crisis even as it faces various difficulties internally and externally. We will be firmly committed to Jordan in our support of resolving the refugee issue," he added.

AMMAN — Saif Al Sharaa’s journey started when he and his wife sought refuge in Jordan in 2013. The couple rented a modest apartment from a friend in Irbid and within three days, Saif found work in a local café.

Saif began to explore avenues to continue his education in Jordan. 

In Syria, Saif had successfully completed his Tawjihi (general secondary education certificate examination) but had not pursued any further studies. He heard about some scholarships being offered to Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanian youth.

In support of the Government of Jordan’s Response Plan for the Syria Crisis, the UNESCO Amman office, with generous funding from the Government of South Korea, is implementing the “Provision of TVET for Vulnerable Jordanian and Syrian Refugee Youth” project. Through the project, UNESCO supports youth to receive quality training programmes as a way of creating employment. The project is fully aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in particular, Sustainable Development Goal 4, which focuses on ensuring inclusive and quality education for all and promoting lifelong learning.

Saif applied to the BTEC level 3 qualification in civil engineering programme and began his studies in 2015, earning his diploma the following year.

“During the day, I would work in the café whenever I was not at school, and in the evenings I would study. After receiving the civil engineering diploma, I became interested in the business management programme. I applied for this scholarship and was accepted,” Saif said.

The café where Saif had been employedwent up for sale. Saif saw a chance to achieve his dream; together with his brother, he approached the owner of the café and collected all the money that they had saved. The owner accepted their offer and the brothers set about making the place their own. 

“We undertook a big renovation in an effort to make the café a more open and friendly place. In honour of the place where I have been studying, we decided to re-name the café ‘Luminus’.”

Saif added that some members of the community had a difficult time accepting that the café had been sold to Syrians and voiced their resentment. 

“We had to overcome this attitude and we lost some of the old customers. In the process though, we gained new clientele. Previously, the café was frequented mainly by men and now, women feel comfortable coming and enjoying the space as well,”  he said.

It was a period of transition and adjustment, but now the café is thriving. 

“My wife has been such a support to me. It is almost like she does the marketing for the café, referring her friends who then tell other people about it. We have started a loyalty program as well, offering discounts to returning customers,” Saif  said.

Saif is currently supporting his wife as she begins her university studies.

While Saif and his family are now members of their new community, he has fond memories of Syria. 

“Everyone who is forced to leave their home dreams of returning someday. If I someday do go back to Syria, I would open the same sort of café there,” he said.

Saif’s scholarship is one of 250 scholarships offered to vulnerable Jordanians and Syrian refugees under this project, supporting youth access to meaningful, accredited post-basic education. Many of the students enrolled in the BTEC programmes being offered have not succeeded at passing the Tawjihi, which is not a requirement for admission. 

During his studies, Saif benefited from the entrepreneurial skills portion of the training program, making use of these skills in his current work. 

He feels grateful for the employability skills he learned during his Korean-funded programme and highlights that he feels more confident about managing profits and mitigating losses. He also feels that he has learned a lot about leadership, a skill that is sure to strengthen his resilience and ensure his continued success. 

(UNESCO contributed this article to The Jordan Times)

AMMAN — Interior Minister Salameh Hammad on Tuesday met French Ambassador to Jordan Veronique Vouland over advancing bilateral cooperation in security-related fields and the latest regional developments.

Hammad, during the meeting, highlighted the importance of joint coordination in fighting terrorism, extremism and crime through comprehensive strategies and developing intensive training programmes. Talks also touched on the Jordanian experience in hosting Syrian refugees and its impact on the Kingdom’s resources, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The French diplomat lauded the Kingdom's role in countering terrorism and crime, as well as efforts to maintain regional security and stability. She also highlighted the importance of Jordanian-French partnership, calling for activating bilateral cooperation that serves the best interest of the two peoples.  

AMMAN — The Amman Chamber of Commerce’s (ACC) board on Tuesday met with Qatari Ambassador to Jordan Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Al Thani and discussed means to strengthen bilateral economic relations, mainly on the private sector level.

The board, during the meeting, called on Qatari businesspeople to invest in the Kingdom, as well as conduct frequent visits of economic delegations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The board lauded Qatar’s recent efforts to provide 10,000 job opportunities to Jordanians through a platform developed last year. Talks also went over launching joint exhibitions to promote the two countries' products. The Qatari envoy highlighted bilateral relations, lauding the Jordanian expatriate community's role in Doha’s development. 

AMMAN — As the teacher’s strike entered its fourth week, parents and students continue to have growing fears about the uncertainty of the situation, as the Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) is not wavering or accepting any offers from the government.

The JTA is unwavering in its demand for a 50-per cent raise, and teachers around the Kingdom remain on strike and are not holding any classes.

Fahed Jubran, who studies at a public school in Amman in the scientific branch of Tawjihi (general secondary education certificate examination), said it requires a lot of hard work, especially for subjects like physics, math and chemistry, which are difficult to understand without a teacher. 

“I want the teachers to get their raise, but the longer this continues, the more I fear for myself. The classes I take at centres are not enough to cover my needs as a Tawjihi student,” Jubran told The Jordan Times on Tuesday over the phone.

“I honestly thought this would be over within a week or two at max; I do not think anyone expected it to last this long… The problem is, things so far are still unclear, as the government does not show any signs of wanting to give the raise, and the association does not seem lenient about their stance either,” Jubran said.

Mohammad Dhafer, who has a son in a private school and a daughter in a public school, said that his daughter was supposed to start the first grade this year, but did not have the chance to begin school at the same time as other kids. 

“I understand that we are living in a time when it is hard to get by even if your salary is more than JD500 which makes one feel at conflict, because we want to be sympathetic, but we are also afraid our children will miss out on receiving the education they need,” he said.

“Nonetheless, I hope that if the teachers’ demand is actually met, they would somehow make up for lost time and also commit more to their profession,” Dhafer added.

Jaber Saadeh, also a Tawjihi student this year in the literary branch, told The Jordan Times: “Just like any profession, there are good and bad practitioners, so I hope that if the teachers do get the raise, they would teach us with full commitment.”

“Everybody knows that many teachers nowadays provide half the actual information to lure students into taking private lessons with them, so I hope that would stop if things work out,” he said. 

Despite studying as much as he can on his own, Saadeh said he grows more anxious each day about the material he has missed. He hopes the issue will be resolved soon. 

AMMAN — The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) on Sunday and Monday held a series of discussions for the awareness campaign litled “The Importance of the Participation of Local Communities, Women and Youth in Building Solidarity and Community Peace” at their headquarters in Amman, according to a statement from the organisers on Tuesday.

The discussions were held within the “Research, Capacity Building, Awareness and Resilience of Syrian and Host Communities” project that the ARDD is implementing in cooperation with the International Institute for Nonviolent Action, and is funded by the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.

The first day, the discussions hosted a group of media professionals who reviewed the results of the research "Jordanian women in the context of conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and community peace", presented by Media Strategist Muin Khoury.

The review was conducted in order to develop basic proposals and messages to be used in participatory strategies for an awareness campaign focused on the importance of increasing participation within local communities, in addition to helping women and youth in building solidarity and community peace, according to the statement.

Two sessions were held on the second day, hosting young media activists who discussed the results of the research presented by Khoury in order to propose mechanisms to participate in the implementation of the media awareness campaign and deliver its key messages. 

The findings of the research focused on the ability of women in Jordan to play a positive role in conflict resolution and boosting community solidarity, which participants analysed in order to come up with awareness strategies on how to portray women in the media.

Khoury began each session with a series of questions for the women participants, especially those between the ages of 15 and 49, and then shared the answers in ARDD’s surveys, which were conducted in Zarqa, Karak and East Amman, according to the statement. 

The discussion focused on women’s conditions in regards to their families, economic situation, participation in public affairs and women’s own view of themselves as well as that of society’s. 

ARDD, founded in 2008 in Amman, is a civil society organisation seeking to foster transformative change towards an empowered, resilient and just society in Jordan and the Arab World, according to the organisation’s website. 

AMMAN — A number of new ambassadors were sworn in before His Majesty King Abdullah at Al Husseiniya Palace on Tuesday as Jordan’s ambassadors to a number of countries, according to a Royal Court statement.

Makram Queisi was sworn in as ambassador to France, Majed Qatarneh as ambassador to Canada, Ahed Sweidat as ambassador to the Hellenic Republic, Maher Tarawneh as ambassador to Tunisia, Sufyan Qudah as ambassador to Romania, Mohammad Mustafa Tal as ambassador to Mexico, Khaled Qadi as ambassador to Switzerland, and Sami Ghosheh as ambassador to Azerbaijan.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attended the swearing-in.

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, HRH Princess Rym on Monday attended a celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the Jordan Media Institute’s (JMI) master’s programme in journalism and new media. 

The JMI is a not-for profit educational institution, founded by Princess Rym to develop the performance of journalists and media personnel in Jordan and the region, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

“The institute believes that journalism is not limited to defending freedom, rather building a culture of values and true democracy,” Princess Rym said. 

The Princess highlighted the importance of equipping journalists with skills needed to keep up with developments in communications, technology and the digital sphere, noting that this would later boost the performance of media institutions. 

Princess Rym pointed to the necessity of keeping up with developments in media and press training and education to maintain their role as the fourth estate. 

The princess shed light on various efforts to develop official media and the strides made in the field, reiterating the importance of these steps in creating an interactive environment that promotes dialogue and makes a change by relying on facts and eschewing false information. 

CNN's renowned business correspondent Richard Quest, the keynote speaker, highlighted his experience in presenting economic programmes on TV, which attracted senior finance leaders and government representatives from across the world. 
He also referred to the results of a survey showing that "happiest countries in the world are those which have access to information."

For his part, Dean of the JMI Bassem Tweissi said that “establishing the institute marked a turning point in journalism education in Jordan and the region and was a pioneering step that bridged a gap in the field of media education”.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Mohammad, His Majesty King Abdullah’s personal representative, celebrates his birthday on Wednesday.

Born on October 2, 1940, Prince Mohammad was educated at the Islamic Scientific College and pursued his higher studies in Switzerland and Britain.

He also studied at the Military College in Baghdad between 1956 and 1957, later joining the Special Royal Guards before becoming His Majesty the late King Hussein’s military adviser.

The prince assumed several posts, serving as Crown Prince from 1952 until 1962.

In 1970, a Royal Decree was issued appointing him as head of the tribal leader council and in 1973, he was named as the King’s personal representative.

Prince Mohammad chaired the Higher Tourism Committee several times, and served as Regent on numerous occasions while the King was abroad.

He holds the honourary rank of field marshal in the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and has received several medals from Jordan and abroad.

In addition to mastering Arabic, English and French, the prince understands German and Turkish.

Prince Mohammad married Princess Taghrid in 1981 and has two sons from a previous marriage, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Talal, the King’s special adviser, and Prince Ghazi, chief adviser to the King for religious and cultural affairs and the King’s personal envoy.

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Monday charged a young man with one count of premeditated murder for allegedly stabbing his stepmother to death in Central Badia on Friday, official sources said.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Sultan Shakhanbeh also charged the suspect, who is in his late 20s, with one count of attempted murder for allegedly stabbing his father during the assault on Friday night, a senior judicial source said.

Police officials told The Jordan Times earlier in the week that the suspect stabbed the victims at his father’s home with a sharp object. The woman, who was sleeping when the assault took place, died instantly. Her husband was rushed to a nearby hospital and survived the stabbing incident, according to officials.

According to the judicial source, in his initial confession to police and the court prosecutor, the suspect claimed that “his father would often kick him out of the house and would mistreat him”.

The suspect also told investigators that his stepmother mistreated him as well, which prompted the assault, according to the source. The suspect then fled the scene and was captured by police a few hours later.

Shakhanbeh ordered that the suspect be detained at a correctional and rehabilitation centre for 15 days pending further investigations, and is currently questioning the victims' family to learn more about the incident, the judicial source said.