At the end of the seminar on Yemeni-Egyptian relations, held in Cairo on December 14 and 15, several figures who contributed to promoting these relations were honored. Vice-Chairman of the Consultative Council Mr. Mohsin Al-Aini; Yemeni Ambassador to Cairo, Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Luqman; Rector of Sanaa University Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Maqaleh; Yemeni Ambassador to Austria Dr. Hassan Makki, were among those honored.

 

A committee consisting of several Yemeni university graduates who couldn't get jobs since their graduation was formed on December 14. The Ministry of Civil Service suspended recruit new public servants, because of the deficit in the state budget which cannot offer salaries for any new employees in the civil service.
On the other hand, the private sector doesn't offer enough work opportunities for young university graduates.
The committee members are trying to join hands with other public and private establishments to find solutions to the problem of unemployment.

 

The Aden Movenpick Hotel Administration celebrated the 50th anniversary of establishing Universal Company on December 13. The event was attended by Mr. Abdullah Ibrahim, general director of the governorate and Mohammed Al-Maflahi, general manager of the Arab Company for Trading and Investment.
Presents and rewards were distributed to active employees and workers of the company by Mr. John Vouillamoz, the Aden Hotel general manager.

 

A center for fighting malaria will be opened in the near future. It will be highly equipped and will be connected to a network of health sectors and health affairs offices in the governorates. The project aims at formulating plans and implementing programs to get rid of this diseases.
Donors promised to support the project with $6 million, while the Yemeni government allocated YR 40 million.

 

The 9th cultural program organized by the Yemeni Geographic Association will be held during Ramadhan (December 23 to January 4, 1999). Lectures on marginal groups in the Yemeni society, description and analysis of the process of urbanization in Yemen will be delivered by some academics and specialists. The last event will be an evaluation for the Forum for Arab Geographers.

 

From January 1996 to August 1998, the European Mission had contributed to launching 14 projects to re-operate many water wells in different governorates including Ibb, Abyan and Lahaj. The European Mission had supported UNICEF projects concentrated on health care, water supply and primary education in Yemen with nearly ECU1497,300.

 

A book on poverty was recently published by Aden University, Faculty of Economics and Administration. Consisting of nearly 390 pages, the book deals with the problem of poverty in Yemen, its dimensions, and the strategies to solve it.

 

The Yemeni Writers Union will celebrate the first anniversary of Al-Jawi's death this week. The occasion will be attended by Yemeni writers, journalists, public figures and a group of his friends and relatives.

 

A seminar on poverty held at Aden University from December 5 to 7 came out with the conclusion that there are nearly 13 million poor in Yemen. According to the UN 1998 annual report, Yemen occupies the 151st position among 174 countries in the level of personal income.
About 80% to 90% of the Yemeni population are low-income people, of which 22% are on the poverty line. A field survey done by one of the participants in this seminar indicated that the monthly income of 50% of Yemeni families does not exceed YR 5,000 (US $ 36).

 

Al-Islah's Charitable Society will execute different projects during the holy month of Ramadhan. They will offer meals for fasting people in some mosques. In addition, they will distribute food and Eid clothes for poor children in all governorates. About 53 families and more than 83 thousands persons will benefit from these projects.
During last year, about 2,506,986 persons and 186,830 families benefited from such projects, and about 141,680 children received Eid clothes.

 

The Yemen Insurance Federation was formally launched last week at Hadda Hotel. The event was attended by Mr. Abdulaziz Al-Kumaim, Minister of Supply and Trade.
The Executive Board of the YIF is made up of Mr. Ali Mohammed Hashim, Chairman of Mareb Yemen Insurance Company; Mr. Tarek Abdul-Wassa Hayel, General Manager of United Insurance Company; Aqil Al-Saqqaf, General Manager of Aman Insurance Company; Mr. Daoud El-Khatib, General Manager of Trust Yemen Insurance and Reinsurance Company; and Mr. Munim Al-Khafaji, General Manager of Yemen General Insurance Company.
The other 5 companies included in the YIF are Arab Insurance Company, Al-Watania Insurance Company, Yemen Insurance Company, Yemen Insurance and Re-Insurance Company, and Saba Insurance Company.
The Federation is temporarily located at Mareb Insurance, but plans independent premises.

 

Although recently founded, the University of Ibb has become a respected center for higher education. Serious research is conducted in many fields by highly qualified academics - both Yemeni and foreign.
Ismail Al-Ghabiri of Yemen Times interviewed Dr. Nasser Abdullah Al-Awlaqi, President of the University of Ibb.

Q: When was the University of Ibb founded?
A: I was appointed a president of University of Ibb in a Republican Decree of September 10, 1996. The University of Ibb was established and founded by June 12th, 1996. Today because of this wise policy we have fifteen universities, seven of them are state-owned and the rest are private. The total number of university students in Yemen may slightly exceed 150,000 this year.

Q: How many faculties are there at the university?
A: We started working in 1996 with the faculties of Education (Ibb), Agriculture, Economics & Administrative Sciences, Arts & Sciences and Education (Nadirah Directorate). In 1998 we added the faculty of Engineering with three main departments: Architecture, Electricity and Electronics. Now, there is a plan to be approved for the establishment of a faculty of medicine by the academic year 1999-2000.

Q: How many students do you have?
A: There are about 8,000 to 9,000 students in the University of Ibb. Most new students apply for education, economics and administration sciences, arts and sciences.
This academic year (1998/99), 70% of the students were admitted into the Faculty of Agriculture, because of the free accommodation incentives and funds provided to people involved in such fields. Students of agriculture and food technology get practical training at the Hayel Saeed Anam Industrial Group, 40 km. away from the university. Furthermore, the university provides new graduates in agriculture with jobs in the private sector to link modern education to industry and trade.

Q: Do you face any problems, and how do you tackle them?
A: Pollution is really a main problem. The water and sewage-treatment plant, financed by the German government, needs some repair work. In addition to find a solution, the university conducted a workshop on environmental problems. Speaking of the environment, the Ministry of Education along with Ibb University board of trustees, established an intensive agricultural engineering section. Students are trained to deal with desertification, water resources management, etc.

Q: Are there any problems regarding admitting students coming from other parts of the country?
A: The idea of establishing regional universities is to give new students from these areas greater chances for enrollment and to avoid living and travel expenses in Sanaa or Aden. Hence most of our students are from Ibb, but by the next academic year, we will attract the sons and daughters of Yemeni emigrants, Arabs and foreigners without exclusions.

Q: What is the ratio of Yemeni to non-Yemeni teaching staff?
A: We have a problem regarding attracting Yemeni teaching staff to regional universities. Most Yemeni teachers prefer to be employed either in Sanaa University or Aden University. Hence, we are formulating a new program to attract Yemeni graduates to work in the University of Ibb. They'll be offered scholarships to study overseas.
We have already sent 30 students to prepare for post-graduate studies in food technology and agriculture in Germany, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, India, etc. They'll be working in Ibb University when they come back.
Now we have not less than 15 Iraqi professors and only one Sudanese. We approved 20% increase in salaries for all Yemeni staff who work in rural areas, as bonuses and incentives. This is important to solve the labor force shortages in the town of Ibb, and absorb labor force surplus from main cities.

Q: How do you evaluate education in Yemen?
A: Yemen faces a problem at all scholastic and undergraduate levels. We have 3,500,000 and 150,000 local students in scholastic and undergraduate levels respectively. Compared with the limited resources available to students, the standard showed a very big gap.
The five-Year-Plan budget and annual expenditures to education should increase to raise education standards. New, modern and developed syllabus accompanied with qualified instructors are essential.
If we compare universities in Yemen - a less developed country - to universities in industrial countries, we'll find out that Yemeni officials have a lot of problems to overcome. The political leadership and the government must give more attention and finance to all Yemeni universities, private or state-run to compete with foreign ones abroad and improve higher education in Yemen.

Q: What is the main aim of the agricultural program?
A: The main aim of the university agricultural program is to supply our society with high quality agronomy. As well as extending and improving agricultural productivity, water resources and crop production.

Q: Do you get any assistance from officials?
A: Yes, President Ali Abdullah Saleh provided the university with another new large campus. I also like to thank Governor Abdul-Qader Hilal and my faculty staff members for their fruitful continuous cooperation.

 

The people of Yemen's Al-Maharah Governorate have sent a "Thank-you" letter to the governor of the neighboring Omani province, Dhofar. The letter signed by Mr. Mohammed Salem Akkoush, member of the Consultative Council and former governor of Mahara, expressed gratitude for repeated supplies of food shipments to alleviate the suffering of the people.
"While thanking you for your humanitarian assistance, we ask you to convey our gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos for his kind gesture," the letter said.
The people of Al-Maharah have been receiving generous supplies of foodstuffs. The Omani government is also financing the construction of a new highway connecting Yemen and Oman across the border.

 

The National Youth Culture of Hodeidah announced that it will award generous prizes for young artists. The NYC will organize several open competitions in various clubs during the month of Ramadhan. The fields of competition include oratory, poetry, short stories, and acting. other fields include religious information and Quranic recitals.
The prizes - both cash and in kind, have been donated by the Hayel Saeed Group of Companies, Thabet Brothers Group of Companies, Abdul-Galeel Radman Group of Companies, Salahuddin Factory, Al-Dubayi Perfumeries Factory, Yemen Islamic Bank, Bajel Foodstuffs Complex, Overseas Shipping Company, and others.