- Mahafza stresses the importance of intercultural exchange, training, and workshops to achieve national aspirations.
- Massad overviews Yarmouk’s achievements, strengths, and future academic aspirations.
Chatzisavas: European-Jordanian cooperation in the field of higher education represents a true success story.
Al-Katamine calls for our universities and educational institutions to benefit from the academic products of developed countries
- Michael Dell’Amico praises Jordan's efforts in the field of comprehensive education for refugees.
The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Azmi Mahafza, in the presence of the President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, sponsored the opening of the activities of the Fourth International Week of Yarmouk University, which got organized by the Department of International Relations and Projects, over three days in the Conferences and Seminars Building, with the participation of international universities, academic institutions, diplomatic missions and cultural attachés.
Mahafza began his speech by referring to the statement of His Majesty King Abdullah II in his message to Jordanians on his sixtieth birthday, where He defined the features of our national future: “We want a future in which we regain our leadership in the field of education, advance our economy, and enhance the efficiency and capabilities of our public sector, a future in which our private sector flourishes.” Mahafza referred to His Majesty’s emphasis on Jordan’s future aspirations and His pride in what Jordanians have accomplished despite the magnitude of the difficulties and challenges facing the region. He then pointed to the vision of economic modernization adopted by the government to establish “Smart Jordan,” indicating that the main factor in this engine is “higher education” in addition to “vocational and technical education and training,” “innovation in Research and development”, “entrepreneurship” and “start-ups”.
Moreover, Mahafza pointed out the decisive and important role of the government and universities in finding solutions to the country’s challenges and problems by developing modern programs that focus on competencies while providing these programs with innovative learning and teaching methods and creating an adequate budget. He also praised the efforts of Yarmouk University in holding successful training courses and international projects and organizing such activities and events that provide opportunities for cooperation, sharing and exchanging best practices, and stressing the role of globalization with regard to the exchange of experiences and services.
In his turn, Massad reviewed the establishment of Yarmouk University, its faculties, the health, scientific, and humanitarian specializations and programs it offers and the University’s interest in achieving quality in its academic programs and obtaining international accreditation for most of its academic programs, pointing to the University’s vision and aspirations in developing unique specializations. He then stressed the attention paid by Yarmouk to its international classifications file and the remarkable progress it has achieved over the past three years in the classification file. He also pointed out the most prominent strengths that distinguish Yarmouk University, including its strategic location and the pioneering faculties it includes at the level of official universities, such as the Faculty of Mass Communication, Al-Hussein bin Talal Library, the Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Forced Migration Studies Center, and the Language Center. In addition, he presented the University’s most prominent achievements, such as updating its study plans, increasing the number of courses taught in English for a number of its faculties, and offering language packages “Spanish, Turkish, German, French, and Chinese” for its students, in addition to building some investments in cooperation with the private sector to support the University’s progress and its future aspirations.
The European Union Ambassador to Amman, Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas, pointed out that cooperation between the European Union and Jordan in the field of higher education represents a true success story, noting that about a thousand Jordanian and European students and employees have been able to benefit from the Union’s exchange programs.He added that Jordanian universities have benefited from more than 60 capacity-building projects, pointing out that these new projects focus on vocational training and youth. He also explained that through the Syrian education program funded by the European Union, about three thousand Syrian refugees and Jordanian students have so far been able to obtain the opportunity to complete their higher education, pointing out that a number of new initiatives will soon be announced to increase the size of scholarships for Jordanian citizens.
In the same context, the former Minister of Labor and Tourism, Dr. Nidal AlKatamine, stressed the importance of bridging the gap and linking the outputs of the academic sector with the needs of the labor market, stressing the need for our universities and educational institutions to benefit from the academic product in various sciences in the developed countries, with the aim of exchanging expertise, benefiting from experiences and transferring knowledge. This, he said, will reflect positively on the level of our human resources outputs and make them able to engage in the regional and international labor market efficiently and competently.
In return, the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Jordan, Michael Dell’Amico, pointed out that despite the passage of 13 years since the Syrian crisis, the needs of refugees in Jordan are still great, indicating that the hope of most refugees at the present time is related to completing their school and university studies and acquiring various skills.He then praised the distinguished support shown by the Jordanian government concerning offering comprehensive education for refugees, noting that Jordan is considered a model of how to make comprehensive and equitable education a reality. Dell’Amico also appreciated Yarmouk University's decision to reduce the tuition fees for refugee students, declaring that the UNHCR intends to establish a higher education forum in Jordan with the participation of more than 15 different partners, including universities and governments, with the aim of working together to secure access to higher education opportunities for all refugees. He then pointed to the initiative of the Crown Prince Foundation, which aims at improving access to higher education, including vocational and technical education and training opportunities, supporting young people to acquire market-relevant skills, and enhancing youth ability to live independently.
Noteworthy here is that the week's activities include specialized sessions, training, and introductory workshops discussing a group of topics, such as “equity and inclusivity in higher education,” “digital transformation in higher education: trends and best practices,” “integrating sustainable development goals into higher education strategies,” and “ Virtual Student and Academic Exchange: Challenges and Opportunities,” “Innovation and Employment,” “Promoting Vocational Education and Training,”“Integrating Sustainable Development Concepts into Higher Education,” and other topics related to higher education and international networking in various scientific fields.
About one hundred participants from 28 countries participated in this week, in addition to a number of academic leaders, faculty members, directors and employees of international relations offices, and students from various Jordanian, Arab, and international universities, higher education institutions, and international organizations and bodies that support higher education, such as the United States Agency for International Development and the Academic Exchange Foundation, the German (DAAD), the American Fulbright Program, the Partnership in Scientific Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean (PRIMA) Program, and Abdul-Hameed Shoman Fund for Supporting Scientific Research, in addition to the participation of a number of local institutions such as the National Erasmus Plus Office, the Fund to Support Scientific Research, and the Student Network Erasmus of Jordan, and the Tourism Sector Revitalization Authority.
