Jordan Times
Friday, May 13, 2005
Government cuts red tape to
attract foreign students
AMMAN (Petra) — The government will extend the residency permits of
non-Jordanian students and their foreign registered vehicles from three to 12
months, according to Prime Minister Adnan Badran.
Addressing a group of foreign students at the University of Jordan, Badran said
the Kingdom seeks to become an educational oasis, where Arab and foreign
students can live and learn in a healthy environment.
Currently around 3,500 foreign students representing 72 different countries are
studying at the University of Jordan.
The overall number of non-Jordanians studying in the Kingdom's public and
private universities now stands at 20,000.
Also on Thursday, Badran received Jordan Medical Association (JMA) President
Hashem Abu Hassan and board members.
He reviewed the contribution of the professional associations to the country's
development and urged them to further develop the professions.
Abu Hassan presented the association's views concerning the controversial
professional associations' draft law. The bill, introduced in March by the
previous government of Faisal Fayez, has come under heavy criticism from the
associations and the Lower House, who referred it to its Legal Committee after
denying it the urgency status requested by the government.
Opponents of the draft law claim it seeks to restrict freedom of thought and
expression and confine union activities to purely internal and professional
matters. Under the draft bill, any event that could be regarded as political
would be subject to the country's Public Assembly Law, which requires organisers
to obtain official approval three days in advance.
In a meeting with the Jordan Bar Association at the end of April, Badran said
the draft law was “open to debate,” while urging the unions to focus on
promoting their members' interests.
Meanwhile, Badran yesterday formed a committee chaired by Interior Minister Awni
Yarvas to resolve problems encountered by customs and other local officials at
the Karameh border post and to submit a report on their findings.
The premier set up another committee headed by Minister of Municipal Affairs
Tawfiq Kreishan to examine the problem of fly infestation in the Jordan Valley
and suggest appropriate solutions.