JORDANIAN AMBASSADOR HAILS M'SIAN GOVT'S INITIATIVES IN EDUCATION

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- Jordan's ambassador to Malaysia, Maher A.
Lukasha, has hailed educational facilities in Malaysia and the support given by
the Malaysian government to both local and foreign students.

In an interview with Bernama, he described the Malaysian government's
efforts to enhance the quality of education and expand opportunities for
acquiring better education as "positive endeavours."

In hailing the attention given by the Malaysian government to education, he
said his country also shared the same aspirations in "advancing the level and
quality of education."

"Jordan's King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein considers it (education) as a base
for renaissance, and education is also like an armour to protect the nation," he
added.

Lukasha said Jordanian students in Malaysia often gave positive remarks
about their rewarding experiences at the universities they attended in Malaysia.


Besides the helping hand from the Malaysian government, he said, they also
hailed the support from their universities in terms of their studies and
research.

He said the Malaysian government’s policy of opening more schools and
universities and the support for scientific research and scholarships for
Malaysian students to study abroad to gain more knowledge and experience were
positive initiatives that would enable them to eventually return to Malaysia and
use their knowledge and experience for their country's benefit.

Lukaska, who assumed his present position in Malaysia last October, said he
would give priority to strengthening relations between Jordan and Malaysia over
the next five years.

He said he was especially interested in promoting two-way tourism and for
more Malaysians to visit Jordan and for more Jordanian holiday-makers to come to
Malaysia.

"Allah (God) has granted us in Jordan a unique and strategic location and my
country has been a fulcrum and convergence for different religions and
civilisations through the ages.


"A visitor to ancient sites in my country feels like watching a historical
movie telling him or her stories and events which cannot be otherwise known
except through books. All in all, Jordan embodies the history of various
civilisations and cultures," he said, adding that Jordanian attractions include
the 6th Century BC ancient city of Petra and the Dead Sea, regarded as one of
the most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes in the world.

On promoting Malaysia to Jordanians, Lukasha said he would like to stress on
the beauty and cleanliness of the country with its modern infrastructure,
beautiful islands and service quality.

"The most important factor is to interact and to know its people who are
friendly with their unique multi-ethnic composition. Malaysia presents an
amazing picture of co-existence of multi-ethnicity and religions, an example
which should be emulated in other parts of the world," he said.

Lukasha said Jordan regarded Malaysia as an important country in Southeast
Asia which was playing an important role in Middle Eastern affairs.

"Malaysia always presents positive positions and policies regarding various
Arab and Islamic issues," he said.

Lukasha said he also hoped that more Malaysian investments and industries
would play an active role to enhance Jordan's industrial and economical sectors
through joint projects and exchange of experiences in various economic fields.