[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 21, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S6905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN MIDDLE EAST

  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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