Jordan Times
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
King urges youth role in
political development
By Rami Abdelrahman
AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday urged
the country's youth to take part in the drive for political development by
taking an active role in future student council and parliamentary elections.
During a meeting with 30 University of Jordan (UJ) students, the King reiterated
the value of listening to the next generation of nation builders when making
plans for the future of the Kingdom.
“I care about the ideas and opinions of our youth, and I want to know your
opinion on political and economic reforms freely without formalities, because
the future of Jordan is your future,” the Monarch said while having lunch with
juniors and seniors at the campus restaurant.
“I want to see a strong youth effect on the next parliamentary elections,” the
King told the students, stressing that they should vote according to political
and economic platforms they would support rather than on the traditional tribal
basis.
“Political development starts with university student council elections, and
students should encourage candidates who have clear political programmes,” the
King said.
His Majesty said he had directed Prime Minister Faisal Fayez to hold discussions
with students to work together on determining how they can improve their
contribution to political life. In the King's Letter of Designation to the
premier last October, the involvement of youth in the country's development
efforts was highlighted.
King Abdullah pointed out that the government has spent $500 million on
enhancing the education system, both secondary and university, over the last
three years, considered an unprecedented amount in the region. Emphasising that
Jordan is investing in its young generation, he said: “When I go on economic
visits to other countries, I always talk about the highly skilled human capital
we have in Jordan, and I always try to find educational and training
opportunities for our youth to take advantage of in foreign countries.”
Earlier Monday, the Monarch visited the King Abdullah Fund for Development and
Vocational Guidance office, also on the UJ campus. The fund was established in
2003 upon the King's directives to build partnerships and a lasting connection
between students and the labour market in order to find mechanisms and
programmes to educate graduates on the current job market needs.
At present, 17 of the country's 22 universities, both public and private, have
established similar offices. The number of university students totalled 180,000
last year.
According to Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Bassem Awadallah,
who accompanied the King to campus, more action can be taken to invigorate the
offices' operations.
The fund's objectives include preparing a database on labour market needs,
teaching students communication skills, building job values and ethics,
encouraging positive behaviour and career loyalty, helping graduates find
permanent jobs and students part-time, and opening communication channels
between students and public and private sector parties.
“Students need to know more about those offices and what they do,” Awadallah
told reporters. “The offices should work more with private sector companies to
help students realise the market needs, and put them on the right track in order
to find work after graduation,” the minister said. He suggested holding job
fairs at all universities to put students directly in touch with potential
employers.
Until now, the UJ office has held seven seminars for more than 1,000 students —
UJ students alone number more than 25,000 — teaching them how to prepare
curriculum vitae, training them on how to perform during job interviews, and how
to find part-time jobs. The office helped 78 students find one-month to
six-month part-time jobs, and secured 62 graduates with full-time positions.
Upon His Majesty's directives, a programme aimed at granting 309 underprivileged
students financial aid and scholarships will be announced soon.
According to officials, recipients of these grants will be chosen in line with
their need and academic performance.