Among 16 Arab universities in the disciplines of social sciences, arts, humanities, and management, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the State of Qatar announced the accreditation of Yarmouk University for Qatari students studying at private expense. The Ministry said in a piece of news on its official website that this accreditation is associated with the classification of universities according to study tracks, which can facilitate access to the most suitable universities for study by specialization.
The President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, stressed that the re-accreditation of Yarmouk University by the Qatari Ministry of Education and Higher Education reflects the merit of the strategic plan that Yarmouk is implementing, which aims at making the University a pioneering and distinguished educational institute that contributes to sustainable development and building the society of knowledge by empowering the values of quality and academic excellence.
On behalf of the President of Yarmouk University, the Vice President for Planning and Development, Scientific Research and Quality Affairs, Professor Samer Samarahh, sponsored the opening of the activities of the symposium titled "Population Dynamics and Patterns of Urbanization in Jordan". The activity was organized by the Center for Sustainable Development Studies and Queen Rania Center for Jordanian Studies and Community Service at Yarmouk on the occasion of World Population Day, in the presence of the Director of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Irbid, Marjorie Cabrol.
Samarah said that understanding and analyzing population dynamics accurately is essential to develop effective policies and strategies that promote sustainable development and improve the quality of life for citizens, pointing out that the symposium aims at exchanging ideas and experiences on how to improve public policies and strategies to achieve sustainable development goals in Jordan. He then pointed out that Jordan encounters various challenges related to rapid population growth, global internal and external migration rates, economic changes, and other factors that affect population distribution and urbanization patterns in cities and rural areas alike; therefore, it is necessary to think strategically and carefully plan to ensure a balance between population growth and sustainable urbanization. Moreover, Samarah stressed that Yarmouk University believes in the importance of solving the problems resulting from the increase in the population growth, unemployment, and poverty, appreciating the great role played by municipalities and local councils of services in this regard.
The Director of the Center, Dr. Abdul Basit Athamneh, said that the establishment of the Center for Sustainable Development Studies at Yarmouk University came to achieve the University’s vision to become a center for excellence in providing pioneering research, promote sustainable development, achieve several national goals, adopt an integrated approach to research and innovation, participate in proposing participatory solutions with academia, civil society, the public and private sectors, and municipalities, and ensure the achievement of sustainable development goals at the national level. He continued: The population numbers are affected by many demographic, economic and social factors, and vary from one region to another according to local and global conditions, pointing out that Jordan is a vivid example of rapid population growth. He then stressed the importance and role of municipalities in providing the legal and regulatory framework that helps achieve sustainable development by managing population growth in a sustainable and balanced manner, thus establishing a balance between the current and future needs of communities.
In the context of local administration, Athamneh said that municipalities play a key role in absorbing the effects of population growth and ensuring sustainable development through land planning, urban development, family planning and reproductive health, and preserving the environment and natural resources. He also pointed out that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) plays an important role in helping refugees and displaced persons globally through the UNHCR's endeavor to provide the necessary support to individuals affected by conflicts and disasters. The Commissioner, as he said, provides several services including protection, shelter, education, and health care, which contributes to providing a more stable and improved environment for living, which directly affects population growth in the affected areas.
For her part, Cabrol thanked Yarmouk University for organizing this seminar, which discusses an important topic for UNHCR, since 80% of refugees live in urban areas. She said that the City of Irbid is an example to be followed concerning the qualitative initiatives it provides to refugees. The UNHCR Field Section Officer, Osama Al-Omari, gave a presentation on the results of the "Refugee Vulnerability Assessment Framework", in which he presented multisector indicators, such as housing, health, education, economic empowerment and basic needs, which indicates a rise in the poverty rate from 57% to 67% from 2021 to 2023. However, the symposium, which was attended by mayors, members of municipal councils, researchers and specialists from international organizations and civil society institutions, included two sessions: the first was entitled "The impact of population increase on the services provided by municipalities and international organizations", and the second was entitled "The impact of population growth on urbanization patterns in Jordan".
The President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, met at the University's Liaison Office in Amman with the Director General of the Business Development Center, Ghaleb Hijazi and Nermin Begovic from SPARK, to discuss aspects of cooperation in the STEP program, which aims at refining the skills of entrepreneurs, connecting participants to the labor market, and creating sustainable jobs, a plan implemented by SPARK in Jordan in cooperation with the Business Development Center.
Massad pointed to the importance of such programs in enhancing the capabilities of young people and providing sustainable job opportunities, stressing the commitment of Yarmouk University to support initiatives that contribute to economic and social development and have a positive impact on students and graduates. For their part, Hijazi and Begovic expressed their happiness in cooperating with Yarmouk University, praising the effective role played by Yarmouk in supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and youth empowerment.
Such efforts come within the framework of Yarmouk University's endeavor to strengthen its partnerships with international and local organizations with the aim of achieving sustainable development and developing an integrated educational environment that supports innovation and creativity.
The meeting was attended by the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Dr. Mohamed Ashraf Al-Atoum, and the Dean of Scientific Research and Graduate Studies, Dr. Mohamed Al-Zubaidi.
On behalf of the President of Yarmouk University, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor Mousa Rababah, sponsored the opening of the "Study in France" event organized by the Language Center and the Faculty of Arts at the University in cooperation with the Campus France Unit at the French Embassy in Amman. Rababah pointed out that Yarmouk, based on its strategic plan, seeks to provide scientifically and skillfully qualified competencies, refine their personalities, and enhance their abilities, stressing the importance of students learning secondary languages other than their mother tongue. He stated: "Language is the key for future and whoever does not learn other languages remains locked in a shell", stressing that Yarmouk's message is based on enlightenment and leadership, in line with His Majesty's vision of modernization, educational, economic, and political development. With regard to the French language, Rababah pointed out that Yarmouk University aware of the importance of this language, has launched "language packages" including "French", which will expand students' perceptions and horizons and guide them towards completing their higher studies in France that includes universities that are distinguished by offering unique and qualitative specializations in the world.
The Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Mohamed Al-Angra, gave a speech in which he stressed that this event is a valuable opportunity to enhance academic and cultural cooperation between Jordan and France and to provide valuable information about study opportunities and academic exchange between Yarmouk and French universities, pointing out that the cultural and academic relationship between Yarmouk and French academic institutions has a long and fruitful history. Al-Anaqra said that studying abroad, especially in France, opens wide horizons for students to learn about new cultures, expand their academic knowledge, and gain unique life experiences.
He then called on students to take advantage of this event as much as possible to learn about the educational opportunities available in France, including academic programs, scholarships, and means of support available to international students.
For her part, the Director of the Language Center, Dr. Rana Kandeel, said that the Department of Modern Languages at the Faculty of Arts at Yarmouk is one of the distinguished departments that graduated hundreds of distinguished students in the field of the French language and has always been keen to develop methods of teaching the French language, in addition to including the French language within the "Language Packages" offered by Yarmouk to students from various faculties. She then pointed out that the Center's cooperation with the Department of Modern Languages and the French Embassy in Amman contributed to the organization of this event, in an effort to introduce students to the opportunities and mechanisms of study in French universities.
In her turn, the Head of the Department of Modern Languages, Dr. Mona Bani Bakr, stressed that "Study in France" is a valuable opportunity for students wishing to complete their postgraduate studies, develop their academic knowledge, and enhance their culture due to the quality of education in France, considering that studying in France would give students the opportunity to learn the French language and immerse themselves in the French culture. Regarding the advantages of "Study in France", Abu Bakr pointed out that France is considered one of the developed countries in the field of scientific research, as French universities and research institutions provide many resources and opportunities for research work with experts and specialists, stressing the diversity of scholarship opportunities offered by French universities to international students.
Zuhair Tuffaha, head of the Campus France Unit at the French Embassy in Amman, gave a briefing on the Unit and the facilities it provides to help students study in French universities in terms of choosing a major, attaching the required documents, accessing to admission to universities, and other services. However, the event, which was attended by a number of faculty and administrative staff members and a group of university students, included a discussion of a range of topics, such as the importance of the French higher education system, the importance of learning the French language and culture, the DALF, DELF, and TCF exams in the French language, and scholarships provided by French universities and the Erasmus program.
Yarmouk University, through the Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies Center and the International Institute of Asian Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen academic partnership by working on conducting studies and research in the fields of humanities and social sciences as well as partnership in organizing and implementing international conferences and workshops. The Memo was signed on behalf of Yarmouk by its president, Professor Islam Massad, and on behalf of the Institute by its director, Dr. Philippe Peycam.
The Director of the Refugee Center, Dr. Ruba Al-Akash, said that signing the memorandum reflects the Center's vision as a national and regional research body that supports decision-makers and researchers in asylum and migration issues. She then pointed out that the Center is keen to strengthen partnerships in the field of academic and research cooperation with various international institutions, which enables faculty members and researchers at Yarmouk to cooperate with their counterparts from universities and research institutions in various countries of the world and exchange experiences with them. She also stressed the importance of the cooperation with the International Institute of Asian Studies, which is an international platform for knowledge exchange, through the implementation of more research and studies that constitute a solid base for researchers in the field of asylum and displacement, and a scientific reference trusted by decision-makers concerning refugees.
Yarmouk University and the Lebanese American University in Beirut signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance friendship, understanding and cooperation in the fields of culture, education and scientific research and serve faculty members and students at the Faculty of Pharmacy. The Memo stipulates the encouragement of systematic exchange of academic, professional and student staff for the purposes of professional, educational and research training and participation in study, research, publication, seminars and other mutually beneficial collaborative projects that contribute to academic and research progress.
The President of Yarmouk, Professor Islam Massad, stressed the importance of this cooperation, which seeks to enhance our research capabilities in the field of sustainable development and innovation. He mentioned that through this Memo with the Lebanese American University of Beirut, Yarmouk looks forward to working with the Lebanese University to develop a set of new initiatives that support students and faculty members at the Faculty of Pharmacy and contribute to achieving common goals for a sustainable future driven by knowledge, research and cultural exchange.
For his part, the President of the Lebanese American University of Beirut, Dr. Michel Moawad, stressed that this Memo aims at strengthening cooperation between the two universities in order to serve common interests and promote scientific research and academic exchange in various fields.
It is noteworthy that the Lebanese American University of Beirut is an independent private university registered in New York and affiliated with the State University of New York in the United States and has a campus in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Yarmouk University participated in the activities of the seventh international educational exhibition specialized in educational tourism in the City of Erbil in the Kurdistan region in Iraq, which was opened under the patronage of the Governor of Erbil, Omid Khoshnaw, in the presence of the Jordanian Consul General in Erbil, Fouad Majali. Yarmouk's participation was supported by the Tourism Promotion Board, in cooperation with the International Student Affairs Unit at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Jordanian Consulate General in Erbil.
Representing Yarmouk at the exhibition, the Head of the Marketing and Advertising Department, Shaza Saadoun, and the Head of the Documents and Information Department, Rami Al-Khatib, presented introductory brochures about the University and the various specializations it offers for the undergraduate and graduate levels in its various faculties, credit hour fees, and job opportunities for its graduates, in addition to the specializations that Yarmouk University recently developed and will start teaching starting from the next academic year 2024/2025. Al-Saadoun and Al-Khatib also met with the Jordanian Consul in Erbil, Fouad Al-Majali, during his tour of the corridors of the pavilions of Jordanian universities at the exhibition, where Al-Majali praised the reputation of Yarmouk University and the distinguished level of its graduates, stressing the importance of the participation of Jordanian universities in such international educational exhibitions, which enables them to market their various specializations and attract international students.
It is noteworthy that the participation of Jordan in this exhibition comes after the decision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Kurdistan Region to officially recognize all Jordanian public and private universities that participated in the activities of the Jordanian-Kurdistan Higher Education Forum (Erbil-2024), which was held last May of 2024, where participating universities signed agreements with Kurdish universities in the governorates of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk.
\Yarmouk University and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at establishing an alliance for higher education in Jordan and implementing the Goal 15 by 2030 through cooperation between the parties to ensure that refugee students can access higher education with minimal major obstacles. The memorandum was signed by the President of Yarmouk, Professor Islam Massad, while it was signed on behalf of the Commission by its representative in Amman, Michael Dell’Amico.
In his speech during the signing ceremony, Massad said that this meeting comes to unify efforts and serve higher education issues related to refugees, through the Higher Education Alliance in Jordan, considering that Jordan has borne for more than a hundred years the consequences of waves of asylum and migration. He added that we as Jordanians have the right to be proud of the great efforts made by the Jordanian government and its wise Hashemite leadership regarding refugee issues, praising in the same context the efforts of His Majesty the King, who is always leading a diplomatic and political movement to urge the international community to shoulder its responsibilities towards humanitarian issues.
Moreover, Massad pointed to the efforts made by Yarmouk University to launch this alliance, stressing that it worked through the Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies Center, in partnership with the UNHCR, within the project "increasing the enrollment of refugees in higher education programs in Jordan", by reaching (15%) in 2030 based on a scientific plan and accurate procedures on which this project was built. Massad then praised the efforts of the Refugee Center in preparing a policy paper on increasing the enrollment of refugees in higher education programs with the aim of raising the rate of (15%) in 2030 in addition to coming up with recommendations that help decision-makers to make the appropriate decision and formulate policies regarding higher education issues complying with the Global Compact for Refugees and its strategy in relieving pressure on host countries, enhancing refugees' self-reliance, and supporting conditions in their home countries for their safe and dignified return.
For his part, the UNHCR Deputy Representative in Amman, Michael Dell’Amico, stressed that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is fully aware of the importance and power of inclusive and equitable higher education in Jordan, as it is a gateway of hope for refugees to have the opportunity to complete their higher studies and acquire skills and competencies to contribute to building their homelands whenever they can return to them, thus earning a life in dignity. Dell’Amico then stressed that Jordan is a model for how to make inclusive and equitable education a reality, as recent years have witnessed a significant improvement in access to higher education for refugees, including generous steps to reduce tuition fees for refugee students to be the same as Jordanian students in many universities, stressing that education is the basis for providing qualified citizens capable of working in other growth sectors in Jordan in line with the vision of economic modernization. He also praised the Crown Prince's recent initiative on the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) that supports Jordanians and refugees to acquire market-relevant skills and enhance their ability to lead independent and satisfying lives, which contributes to the development of society.
Moreover, Dell’Amico stated that UNHCR considers higher education for refugees a global priority, as declared in the Global Refugee Forum held in Geneva in December last year, thus it works hard to ensure that 15 per cent of refugees get access to tertiary, technical and vocational education by 2030. He then explained that 17 different actors in Jordan, including UNHCR, universities and career centers, the private sector and philanthropy are coming today together to launch the first Higher Education Alliance in Jordan to further enhance access to education for refugees, and address the challenges of a better future for Jordanians and refugees.
Thus, the Memo stipulates strengthening cooperation that can contribute to increasing the access of refugee students to higher education and vocational and technical training, in addition to cooperating in raising awareness and coordination concerning the enrollment of refugee and Jordanian students from the neediest groups in higher education and vocational and technical training, with the aim of positively impacting education and training opportunities and the lives of refugee students. The Memo also stipulates that all refugee students of all nationalities will be treated as Jordanian students in the parallel program and with all university degrees.
It is noteworthy that the Higher Education Alliance in Jordan is a network of 17 public and private universities, government institutions, charitable, economic and humanitarian bodies, whose goal is to facilitate refugees' access to higher education and technical and vocational education, a network that aims at ensuring access to higher education, development and technical and vocational training for refugees and Jordanians most in need, in recognition of their importance in the wheel of economic development in line with the second engine of economic growth priorities for the vision of economic modernization in Jordan.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, received the Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Amman Philip Hall, accompanied by the Director of the British Council in Jordan, Alex Lambert, to discuss prospects for cooperation between Yarmouk University and various British educational institutions and institutes in academic fields of common interest. Massad stressed the keenness of Yarmouk University to strengthen its cooperation network with various British universities and educational and research institutions, which contributes to the exchange of experiences and knowledge, thus providing an opportunity for university students and members of the teaching and administrative staff to enrich their knowledge, develop their skills and enhance their capabilities. He then stated that Yarmouk is keen to invest in its human resources by sponsoring its distinguished students to complete their postgraduate studies in a number of prestigious International universities. Moreover, Massad reviewed the establishment of Yarmouk University, the faculties it includes and the academic programs it offers, pointing to the positive impact that Yarmouk University has had in terms of community development in various fields, and its future aspirations to build on its achievements and raise its classification at the international level.
Massad then acknowledged the endeavor and vision of Yarmouk in advancing the wheel of development and modernization by updating and modifying the study plans of all the faculties and academic programs on the one hand, and the development of new specializations that meet the aspirations of young people and keep pace with the rapid changes taking place in the world on the other hand. In addition, he pointed out that Yarmouk, based on its endeavor to qualify its students and provide them with various communication skills and give them an added value in the labor market, has launched several language packages that allow university students to develop their language skills in one of the international languages, namely Spanish, German, French, Turkish and Chinese. Thus, he stressed the readiness of Yarmouk University to receive British students wishing to learn the Arabic language at the University's Language Center, indicating that the University offers a distinguished program for teaching Arabic language and culture face-to-face and online. With regard to the procedures for accrediting Yarmouk University as a center for holding the IELTS test in the Northern Region of Jordan through the British Council, Massad stressed that this cooperation will have a great impact in overcoming the difficulties facing the people of the Northern Region wishing to take this exam on the University campus.
In his turn, Ambassador Hall praised the distinguished academic reputation of Yarmouk University, stressing the embassy's keenness to build bridges of scientific and cultural cooperation between British universities and Yarmouk University in areas of common interest, including the exchange of students and faculty members, and conducting joint studies and research projects. He then stressed that the stages of modernization and development witnessed by Yarmouk confirm the extent of its keenness to be one of the most important universities in the region.
The meeting was attended by the Vice President for Planning and Development, Scientific Research and Quality Affairs, Dr. Samer Samarah, the Director of the Language Center, Dr. Rana Kandeel, the Director of the Internal Control Department, Dr. Abdullah Allan, and the Director of Public Relations and Media, Dr. Naqzat Abu Al-Assal. It was attended also by Robert Foley, Director of the Jordan and Central Africa Department at the British Council, Anas Mohamed, Head of Examinations for the Middle East and North Africa at the Council, and Dima Obeidat and Ala’ Ghaith from the British Embassy.
After the meeting, Ambassador Hall toured the campus, accompanied by the Vice President of the University, Dr. Samer Samarah, checking the laboratories of the Al-Khawarzmi Building in the Faculty of Information Technology and Computer Science and Al-Hussein Bin Talal Library.
The preparation of scientific competencies in various fields of knowledge, and the production of innovative scientific research aims to serve society by providing exemplary education in an intellectually stimulating university environment.
