A bit over a week ago, the Civil Service
Bureau released a list of jobs that are considered ”idle”, or not useful for
the labor market. These included political science, foreign languages, philosophy,
economics, business administration, special education and rehabilitation,
journalism and media, and computer science.
اضافة اعلان
While it is true
that Jordan is lacking in a few essential majors, especially technical ones,
people should not be discouraged from taking the idle ones. Not only do
opportunities in these fields exist under the right circumstances, social
sciences and humanities present far more value than our society perceives.
Many believe
that an excessive number of people specialize in these subjects that present
narrow opportunities, but this is only the case because of the way Jordanian
employers think. Compare what one is told when taking philosophy in a Canadian
university to what one is told in a Jordanian university. While Canadian educators
admit that niche subjects such as philosophy do not have many direct job paths,
this does not matter much, since employers look at the skills that the degree
provides, rather than the actual subject itself.
In any given
Western country, philosophy graduates can work in prestigious private and
public positions, for their degree teaches valuable research, argumentation,
and communication capabilities.
By contrast, the
mentality regarding employment in Jordan is narrow. Should one study
philosophy, the only avenue for employment is to teach that subject, which has
been especially difficult because up until recently, there was a 45-year hiatus
in teaching philosophy in Jordanian public schools.
When employers
in our country begin to look at what a degree offers instead of what it is
called, this subject will no longer be called idle.
On a practical
level, the Jordanian society is in desperate need of these majors in a public
setting. Take economics as an example. Economic decisions at micro and macro
scales are made impulsively, with short sightedness, as a natural response to
our ongoing state. However, if more economic analysis were applied on a
day-to-day basis, our situation could be expected to improve.
Recall that the Arab and Islamic golden age was spurred on by the exchange of Arabic, Persian, Greek, Sanskrit, and Syriac texts. Prevalence of language brought about a wealth of knowledge.
Speaking of
ideas, knowledge of foreign languages is imperative to form a cultured and
enlightened nation. The translation of texts has brought about different
improvements in the course of human history, and with some studies saying that
different languages are indicative of different ways of thinking, Jordan gains
a more global perspective through encouraging this field of study.
Recall that the
Arab and Islamic golden age was spurred on by the exchange of Arabic, Persian,
Greek, Sanskrit, and Syriac texts. Prevalence of language brought about a wealth
of knowledge.
As for
journalism and media, we now live in a world where a plethora of media
resources are available. One is no longer dependent on state TV or CNN to grasp
what is going on around the world. Though this sounds impressive, it can have
grave consequences. Across the globe, many have manipulated this wide
accessibility to social media, and pushed sinister agendas on digitally
illiterate people. Corrupt companies and shady politicians pay for ads that
harm the wellness of nations. The solution is teaching journalism to the
masses, the youth of this nation, so that the media serve the people. We cannot
afford to have media as a commodity for the elite, or to fall victim to
baseless conspiracies.
Political
science is especially important in our current era, one that we hope is an era
of reform. Changes have been announced to make Jordan’s parliament a truly
modern and democratic institution. Yet, the lack of youth participation makes
this nearly impossible. In the last election, less than 10 percent of voters
were youth, despite this demographic making up around a third of the
population. For a variety of reasons, Jordanian youth are too intimidated to
engage in politics, but with the encouragement of political programs in
universities, real participation can become more robust and this area of
Jordanian society can develop properly.
Furthermore, in
a country where disability is quite stigmatized and misunderstood, more special
needs services are needed. Despite disabled individuals making up over 10
percent of the Jordanian population, accessibility and integration remain major
issues for them. More emphasis must be put on the plight of disabled people,
which is often ignored. Such an improvement can only occur through teaching
awareness in schools and universities.
Last, but
certainly not least, is computer science. This field increases in relevance
exponentially with every coming year across the world. Jordan lacks natural
resources, which means that, for the time being, the government should move
toward making ours a service economy. Some services are more in demand than
others, yet the fact of the matter is that in our day and age, digital services
are of utmost importance, meaning that our focus should be on that area.
The above
specializations are not a problem, and it is beneficial, not detrimental, that
young Jordanians flock to these majors. What needs to change are the many
simple-minded employers in Jordan who refuse to employ those outside of a small
fold of professions.
That being said,
the Civil Service Bureau was right to recommend more technical majors. In
truth, the world’s most successful countries have varied economies and services. Supporting a
culture where Jordanian students can branch out to a wide range of interests
will inevitably diversify the economy and really put Jordan on the map.
Mohammad Rasoul Kailani, is a first year student at the University of
Toronto. Amongst various other topics, his interests are in Middle Eastern
affairs.
Read more Opinion and Analysis
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
