I am thinking of a حملة/مبادرة كتابي, in which all Jordanian students are required to read, summarize/analyze, and present a book, in any language, discipline, or literary form. there are books that are suitable for all grade levels and ages and could be read in a week's time.
what really pisses me off is that the cost of one مكرمة to send a few pampered ass brats to UK/USA for 4 years will probably cover the cost of such initiative for all the country's school children. acquire the rights to print a thousand copies of a thousand books and rotate between the kingdom's schools. imagine the results in 5 years.
King Abdullah, did you know that selling this plane will buy a kindle to every Jordanian student? (imagine the bulk discount Bezos will give you. hey...even Fadi will pitch in free shipping!)
Queen Rania, before you invite the world to visit Jordan, could we please work on a presentable, real Jordan first. I mean even my grandma tidies up before her neighbor of 40 years comes over for coffee!
Dr. karaki, this could be your خطة خمسية. I know you will probably be a member of مجلس الاعيان in 18 months. But, it's worth it.
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8 ►I charge thee, speak!:
Sometimes i think exactly like you, we're paying hell of money on things that are not essential, while we can pay them for our debts or stop taking loans from other countries. and it crosses my mind a lot that our government put plans for the weekend instead of the next 10 years (as they claim)..
other times i doubt it to be as easy as this the solutions or thoughts we present.. because again and again, it starts with ppl themselves, not the "upper levels"..
and very few other times, i look at the new generations and think that something is changing to the better.. as simple as when i used to go to the pool, i never saw ppl reading while tanning.. last Saturday, i saw some girls at the pool with books (not magazines) and they don't look like school or college books.. changes here and there, some to better, some to worse.. but what really needs to happen is to spread awareness and MAKE people do the right thing..
and i might be wrong.. but its just some observations...
You know what, the language argument is absolutely true ... we ain't got a native tongue, and that makes reading a laborious task. So any hope of developing reading in the arab world would surely be tied to the demise of the classical arabic language ... sadly
Jano is right, solving the book-readership problem does not come from the top down. After all, there were similar initiatives in Chicago where young children were sent books by the municipality to encourage them to read and stay away from drugs/gangs. However, the experiment failed because proximity to books does not equate with wanting to read books (check Freakonomics for more details).
Bambam, I wholeheartedly disagree. I think the whole "colloquial vs classic Arabic" argument is just an excuse. After all, many (maybe most) of those who do read books in the Arab world read English books (almost exclusively). So that means that the "nativity" of the language isn't the issue here.
I know kids are reading more nowadays but honestly, I think they're only reading because reading is now "cool" in the west. Still, we're gonna copy them anyway so we might as well get this before it fades.
Is this attitude towards the Government is just because you want to oppose anything they do or Psychological problem that you have congenitally. I mean any government in the world has to take decisions which could be right sometimes and sometimes could be wrong. it seems that you lack any objectivity in your Blog judging these actions.
One of the things that really pissed me was your comment on Queen rania's initiative.
Tidy up Jordan?!!
What do you mean by tiding Jordan
Should it look like Cannes in France or maybe Paris?
In a country with no kind of natural resources. an International political opposition on using any of the country's recently discovered (Uranium Gas etc) ... I think Jordan is doing well with These Circumstances!!
Cultural tidying??! Maybe ... the cultural and social attitudes of the people are things which are moulded in the Psyche of these over hundreds of years....
What really really pisses me is how good we are in criticising things we cant we just look positively foe once ..... maybe you'll be less mab3oos that you are right now
Jano,
you're right. Jordanians are changing. However, to make the change systematic and spread allover Jordan, there needs to be public policy changes that will speed up the change. When it comes to education matters, people have been insisting on sending their children to law, medicine, and engineering schools without even a thought of market needs. This is where the government comes in with awareness campaigns, revamped education and social policies, and real transparency in the Hi-Ed system to weed out corruption and freeloaders, and to build a Jordanian works that's actually ready for the future invasion of China and India.
bambam,
actually I find it easier to read in Classical Arabic. The reason is that I don't have to guess the meaning of the writer's words. Also, when there are so many different dialects, as you mentioned, the unifying Classical Arabic is the way to go.
Hussam,
you are right in saying "proximity to books does not equate with wanting to read book." But, I am not asking a random entity to send out books. I mean for a book reading/reporting as part of the curriculum that is tied to a student's grades. Just like they're asked to read and be tested on كتاب الاجتماعيات, other books would be treated in the same manner.
Rand,
absolutely. دُق الحديد و هو حامي!!
Anon.,
you misunderstood what I wrote. by tiding up Jordan I meant to improve the standard of living for Jordanians, improve the freedom levels, improve the education sector from that of memorization to one based on analytical thinking. I didn't mean to sweep up the streets and paint walls!
the "we're a country poor in natural resources" argument is a myth. Look at Singapore and Ireland. they're smaller in size and population, yet have a vastly better economy, education system, and high-tech industries. All without natural resources. And please don't get me started on Int'l political pressure! We want nuclear power. Not only the US has the technology. We could approach Russia, China, and even Pakistan. But to blame Israel for عرقلة our plans every time we hit an obstacle is nothing but excuses and the same failed political decisions we have sadly been subject to for far too long.
One last thing, dear anonymous. When most Jordanians are ass kissers and cheerleaders, there is a dire need for critics to point out the negative. Jordan isn't in an enviable state, which means only one thing: we've been doing it wrong.
Well,
I'm Jordanian, or at least half Sided Jordanian who wasn't born nor
raised in Jordan. BUT that doesn't mean I don't have rights, eh?
When my sisters decided to study in Jordan, my parents had to pay
the double amount if they studied in UK. And tbh, Makroma isn't for
Jordanians.
Shameful!
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