Queen Rania inaugurates a high-tech French resource center for young people

(The Jordan Times, By Oula Al Farawati - AMMAN) Her Majesty Queen Rania inaugurated a high-tech French resource center here to benefit youngsters. Located in Jabal Hussein's Aisha Um Al Moumineen School, the center will serve as a French Language training center, using the latest in computer technology and information.

It will also provide students with the opportunity to acquire French language skills through the use of the latest French-based software.

The center was made possible through a contribution from the Hachette Foundation of France, whose overall goal is to develop an extensive communications corporation through cultural activities aimed exclusively at young people.

Among its projects are interactive rooms in hospitals, magazine publishing and support for activities specifically directed at children and young people in hospitals.

Towards that end, the media foundation spends 32 percent of its budget on promoting the French Language and culture in more than 35 countries around the world.

" This resource center will be a qualitative addition to our achievements on the road to promoting information technology and computer-based education, which Her Majesty the Queen has always supported" Education Minister Khalid Touqan said during the opening ceremony.

Touqan also expressed gratitude for the Hachette contribution, saying this would boost communication and cultural openness between Jordan and France.

The center will provide training for teachers on two tracks; one will be provided by the Education Ministry, allowing teachers to acquire computer skills, while the other will be provided by Mosaique du Monde- a French NGO that works closely with the foundation- and will focus its training on the Internet.

Last year, the ministry embarked on an ambitious nationwide project to spread computer and computer-based education, a scheme championed by His Majesty King Abdullah.

Computer education started this year in public schools. Also this year, computer education was introduced as a compulsory course in the nationwide Tawjihi (high-school) exams.