Jordan Times
Friday, October 29, 2004
Youth to visit Japan to study
communications technology
By Sarah Ryan
AMMAN — Twenty Jordanian youths are to visit Japan for three weeks in February
next year to receive specialised training in education using communications
technology as a result of an agreement signed yesterday between the Ministry of
Planning and International Cooperation and the Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA).
“This exchange will increase the quality of our human resources by increasing
our expertise in the selected areas,” Tayseer Al Smadi, secretary general of the
Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, said before signing the
agreement.
The youth participating in the Japan-Jordan Youth Friendship Programme will
receive technical training in their respective fields through lectures and
seminars with Japanese youth involved in the same field to exchange views about
education using communications technology.
The programme is especially vital seeing as 70 per cent of the Kingdom's
population is under the age of 30.
The focus of this year's exchange is education by utilising information and
communications technology. However, Smadi noted that in the years to come he
would love to see the exchange programme focus on other areas of mutual
significance.
The 20 youths, who, under the terms of the agreement must be under 35 years of
age, will also learn more about Japanese culture, politics and economics through
lectures, language classes and by living with a Japanese family.
This programme began 20 years ago and more than 25,000 youth have visited Japan
from various countries, said Hideo Morikawa, resident representative of JICA's
Jordan office.
However, over 1,100 Jordanians have visited Japan to participate in a variety of
training courses conducted in the country.
The programme is funded by the Japanese government through its official
development assistance to the Kingdom. This year marks the 50th anniversary of
diplomatic relations between Japan and Jordan.
“I hope this will help improve our mutual friendship, understanding and trust
between both countries,” Morikawa said.