Speech by Federal Minister of Education and Research, Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan, MdB,

Transcription

1 Speech by Federal Minister of Education and Research, Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan, MdB, on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the new campus of the German Jordanian University (GJU) in Amman on 21 October 2012 For release: Beginning of the speech! Check against delivery!

2 1 Ladies and Gentlemen, It is four years ago since I last visited the GJU. We saw the students of the first bachelor programme off to Germany, and I gained a first impression of the campus in Madaba at the time. I have fond memories of the university and signed a second memorandum with your minister of higher education in 2008 which asserts the commitment of both countries to provide lasting support to the GJU. I am pleased that the GJU has found a great supporter and patron in you, Your Excellency King Abdullah. [Aktualisierungsvorbehalt] And I thank you, Minister Owais, for your interest in this joint project. During my visit in 2008 I also met with students who were hungry for education and showed great interest in asking and finding answers to questions. I was most impressed. Young people keen on learning are the future of a society. This is true for Jordan, for Germany and for any other country. They need the free space to think, to shape their future and to be able to contribute to the development of their country and society.

3 2 Excellent education, vocational training and a broad spectrum of scientific excellence are the foundations of progress in our societies. This progress requires cooperation across national borders. This is why it is so important to provide young people not only with excellent training but also to involve them in international cooperation at a young age. The German-Jordanian University is a place that is a living example of such cooperation. I am happy to celebrate the opening of the new GJU campus together with you today. I pass along best regards and congratulations from our Federal Chancellor, for whom this cooperation in education and research is also a matter close to her heart. I would like to thank the government of Jordan for its commitment to the foundation of the university and for its promise to provide funding for construction, maintenance and teaching. My thanks go to the Jordanian President of GJU, Professor Khadra, the German Vice-President, Professor Mangstl, and to the project leader on the German side, Professor Geiger of the University of Magdeburg- Stendal who coordinates cooperation with more than 70 German universities of applied sciences, for their outstanding efforts to establish and develop the GJU.

4 3 My ministry is supporting the development of the university through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). I would like to expression my appreciation and thanks to its President, Professor Wintermantel, for her competent and committed guidance on this important project. I also thank the state of Saxony-Anhalt for its support, the Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The GJU is the most important project within our bilateral cooperation. In an effort to strengthen the relationship built up over many years and to promote bilateral cooperation in the area of university education, Jordan and Germany laid the foundations for this most special of universities back in October It has been a mere eight years since then. Anyone who takes a look at what has been built up here in such a short time cannot help but be impressed. The GJU has developed extraordinarily in just a few years time, and this year s evaluation of the university is proof. The fact that the programme at the GJU is both practice and demand-oriented is reflected not least of all in the great interest shown by the young people of your country. The student body at GJU has now grown to This high demand is also an expression of a certain joy about the future and a spirit of optimism. It is a good way to meet the future.

5 4 The workers here are already among the most highly qualified in the Middle East. These are the right conditions for transforming your country into a centre for education, science and innovation in the region. The GJU is able and positioned to make a contribution to that with its outstanding graduates. It is a university which is oriented towards the very successful model adopted at German universities of applied sciences. More and more young people and businesses in our country are taking note of the advantages of this model of training: student enrolment at our universities of applied sciences has gone up by two-thirds in the past ten years. The distinguishing characteristic of universities of applied sciences is that they provide training of practical relevance, their research is application-oriented, and they cooperate with businesses in the region. And this is why one of the founding principles of the GJU is to promote close relations between industry and science in Jordan and Germany. The concept of the international science world was integrated into the study programme and includes a compulsory year of study in Germany. It also creates a positive personal relationship to Germany. The many positive reports from GJU students and German partners at universities and in industry have shown what a great success this has been.

6 5 Up to now, only students from Jordan have come to Germany. However, I hope that we may also soon send German students to Jordan. We are starting the master degree programme in Specialized Translation (Arabic/German) at the Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences next year. The GJU is without a doubt one of Germany s largest university projects abroad and the beacon of our bilateral cooperation projects in the area of university education and science. There is one common factor in all of these projects: although we want universities abroad to model their academic programmes according to our quality benchmarks in Germany, the programmes should be firmly integrated into the host country and its respective university system. They must take local needs into consideration. This is only possible in a reliable and trusting partnership such as with the GJU. I am confident that this partnership with the GJU will endure beyond today: the move to this sprawling modern campus here in Madaba will now allow the GJU to develop to its full potential and to further develop its research profile. I am pleased that the introduction of a number of new master degree programmes will take another step in this direction.

7 6 This German-Jordanian university where young people from the entire region study and do research together in peace can set an example for other countries in the region who seek to redefine their future and seize upon the opportunities brought about by change. Education and research are key factors to growth, prosperity and social peace. I hope that the graduates of GJU will make a contribution to bringing prosperity to their countries and that they become committed builders of bridges and mediators between our countries and regions. Thank you very much.