It’s been a while since I wrote a post, and this topic is of an interest to me.

Watching out the recent news on the ban of blackberry service in UAE and KSA, makes me wonder will this happen in Jordan also?  I sure certainly hope not!  Otherwise my Blackberry will make a good Calculator!

In general, I am proud of technology achievements in Jordan, although we are users not inventors (I will discuss this in a moment), but yet, there are bigger goals economics-wise, and community-wise that are happening as I type.

I haven’t been to any of AmmanTT community nights yet, but I’ve seen the live streaming of the events, these guys really pulled it off, you can check their website for more info www.ammantt.com, quoted:

Coming to you on the first Tuesday of every month is a 2-hour event that brings industry experts, local technologists/engineers, entrepreneurs, idea-generators and just about any enthusiast together in a casual setting to meet and learn from each other.

The platform would allow us to share our experiences, projects, and ideas with the rest of the tech community. It’s a way for you to get people excited about what you are doing, crowd source advice from experts in the field, and even attract others to work on your project with you! -Who knows, you might even leave with an investment.

Another group have formed up already, they are called Tech Jordan, they haven’t started any activities yet, but they serve a different cause, they don’t have a website right now, but they have this facebook group.  The group propose the following mission:

To serve our members by providing a medium for communication and collaboration, and to establish initiatives and programs to provide opportunities for Tech Jordan members to grow and develop their skills

All of these initiatives are lead by Jordanian youth, which we are part of and proud of, BUT the question is:  Where are we headed to?

Thinking about my early university days (almost 10 years ago), I remember reaching the point where I can really imagine as I type on the keyboard, what exactly is happening step by step with every single detail exactly, till the letter I pressed gets displayed on the screen.  I know a lot of people who share the same knowledge, and we a group of geniuses, believe me!

We have very good companies in Jordan, we provide software and hardware solutions for all kinds of businesses, whether it is locally developed solutions or implemented brands, we’ve got it.  But, do we have R&D (Research and Development), an inventions hub, investments in youth?   Please correct me if we do have something like that but I’m not aware of.

Our main issue is education, the problem is we hear that some companies are racing towards providing e-learning solutions and seeking it be implemented in local schools, whereas the real problem is in the students themselves and planting the will to learn in them.  Kids in Jordan are spoiled, teachers aren’t paid well, hence, poor education.  Public schools are out of order, Kids start smoking and skipping classes at early age, come on, for God’s sake let us start with a correction campaign then seek technology advancement in this field!  Unless e-learning will help in not only making information reach kids in schools in a better way, but also create the prospect leaders of the next generation, then there’s no need for this “nonsense” at the moment.

Let’s link it together:
Jordanian Youth Taking Initiative to Help fellow Jordanians +
Proper Education and Motivation in schools +
Kids and People with brains over their shoulders  +
Proper technology and tools
EQUALS = A Generation of Jordanian Leaders of the World

So, where should we start from, and how?  That would be my next plan =) “insha’allah” (in god’s will) to provide support to people who need and are willing to learn about technology, and then “if successful” start a “No More Pampering” campaign for kids in schools, because we need the new generation of leaders to be ready in a maximum of 10 years.   We need to rule with our brains, the economic world, the technology-sphere, and become inventors not only users of technology and business methodologies.

Food for thought, imagine a Jordanian company inventing a new mobile phone and a method of communication  in the upcoming years that spread around the globe and marks Jordan with a new brand identity for communication and technology.  That’s what we should have, that’s what we should do, and that’s what we should aim for.

I am really sorry if you got confused reading my blog post, at the end I am sharing my thoughts with you, hoping in finding mutual thinkers like me, to lead all the proposed campaigns.

Tags: Amman, Education, Jordan, Technology