Democracy And Human Rights Education In Middle East

DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN MIDDLE EAST -- (Senate - June 21, 2005)

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr President, I recently spoke on the floor about the Ninth Annual World Congress on Civic Education in Amman, Jordan sponsored by the Center for Civic Education. The purpose of that conference was to share information about successful education programs under the Civitas: An International Civic Education Exchange Program, an authorized program of the No Child Left Behind Act and one which is helping to strengthen democratization efforts throughout the world.

A recent news editorial in The Jordan Times supporting the goals of the conference and the outstanding work the Center for Civic Education and their international colleagues are doing in this strategic part of the world was welcome support. I ask unanimous consent that the editorial from The Jordan Times on Sunday, June 5, 2005, be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
[From the Jordan Times, Jun. 5, 2005]

Civic Responsibility

Parents, teachers and official policy makers should be keeping a keen eye on an important congress taking place in Amman this week--the World Congress on Civic Education. But more importantly, they, and all citizens should be made aware of the work of the Jordanian Centre for Civic Education Studies (JCCES) and the Arab Civic Education Network (Arab Civitas)

In a nutshell, these organisations are teaching our children about being good citizens. They are teaching them about not only their rights as citizens. but also their responsibilities. They are teaching elementary school students to respect the basics of democracy by engaging them, through stories, on the concepts of responsibility, privacy, authority and justice.

To many, democracy, and all that it entails, is taken for granted. It never should be.

That Jordan brought back an elected Parliament in 1989 was a milestone in the process of the country's democratisation. And while that process has been confronted with obstacles that have contributed to its regression, one arena that can save and enhance it is educatlon.

It was therefore encouraging to hear Minister of Education Khalid Touqan address the opening plenary of the congress on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Rania and say that ``efforts are still being exerted to make democracy part of our daily life, in families, schools, public life and mass media.''

When the ministry accepted to introduce civic education as a separate subject in the Kingdom's schools, the first big step was taken. Today, the Project Citizen programme, being undertaken in schools as well as universities through the JCCES and Arab Civitas, is preparing generations of civic-minded citizens by educating them and involving them in problem-solving issues affecting their community and society, such as pollution, basic utilities, elections, the jobless rate and taxes. The programme helps instill a sense of community responsibility while educating the students on their rights.

It is precisely this sort of awareness that will help motivate citizens to vote for candidates who will fulfil their needs, not tribal members who will perpetuate the culture of ``waste.'' It is precisely this sort of programme that will help guarantee His Majesty King Abdullah's plan to bring local government back to the people and this time have it work.

This is why the JCCES and Arab Civitas projects and programmes must be supported and even extended to the larger community.

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