Jordan Times
Tuesday, September 7, 2004
Menhaj wins creativity prize
for e-project
AMMAN (JT) — Menhaj Educational Technologies won the second King Abdullah
Creativity Prize yesterday for its “Jordanian Experience in e-Learning
Curricula” project.
The project was first introduced in 2002 as part of the 11th grade physics
curriculum and is the result of a public-private partnership between the
Ministry of Education, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and
Menhaj.
The project resulted in an 18 per cent improvement in academic performance after
being implemented in 8 pilot schools around the Kingdom.
Menhaj CEO Ghassan Al Lahham told The Jordan Times that “by using multimedia
facilities and interactive learning techniques, students become more involved in
the learning process, which in turn increases their motivation and eagerness to
learn.”
The e-learning experience in Jordan was initiated in response to His Majesty
King Abdullah's vision of integrating information technology into the
educational system to further the Kingdom's modernisation process.
The second King Abdullah Creativity Prize, organised by the Greater Amman
Municipality, awarded prizes in three categories: Arts and literature, science,
and archaeological projects in Arab cities.
The prize winners were announced at a press conference on Monday by Abdur-Ra'uf
S. Rawabdeh, head of the prize's board of trustees.
“This is a pan-Arab contest, not exclusive for Jordanians. The prize is part of
the Kingdom's endeavour to enhance competitiveness among Jordanians in
particular and Arabs in general,” Rawabdeh said.
In the arts and literature competition two poets shared the prize: Haidar
Mahmoud from Jordan and Tunisian Yousuf Razoukah.
“In Mahmoud's work, you find a combination of consistency, structure and spirit;
while reading Razoukah's poetry you find the influence of French modernity,”
said Rawabdeh.
The prize for the best archaeology project was awarded to The King Abdul Aziz
Historical Centre in Riyadh for its work in preserving historical facets in the
old city of Riyadh.
Each winning project receives $25,000 in addition to a gold medal imprinted with
the GAM logo, the name of the prize and its winner.
GAM started the competition in 2002 as part of its efforts to celebrate Amman's
status as Cultural Capital of the Arab World 2002.
The event, which occurs once every two years, supports and encourages research
in the arts, sciences, and archaeological fields as part of the municipality's
attempts to promote culture.