President of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, met with Dr. Jean-Michel Shapue of the Institute of Research and Graduate studies at the French University of Paris I, and Katrina Clett, attaché of university cooperation at the French Embassy in Amman. Means and ways of academic cooperation between the two sides were discussed.

At the beginning of the meeting, Kafafi pointed out that Yarmouk has a long history of academic cooperation with French educational institutions. He further stressed the importance of activating this cooperation through exchange programs in the framework of the EU-supported Erasmus+ programs. He further pointed out that Yarmouk has already sent 80 students to various EU countries such as Spain and Sweden this semester and invited the French embassy to build bridges of academic and research cooperation between Yarmouk and various French institutions of higher education.

Kafafi confirmed Yarmouk's readiness to renew the memorandum of understanding with the University of Paris I, which provides for joint cooperation in tourism and hotel management, confirming the support of YU's administration to guide specialists from both sides to put forward the idea of Sandwich Degree in hotel management, which is a distinct educational and training opportunity for students of the Faculty of Tourism at the two universities.

For their part, the delegation confirmed the embassy's willingness to enhance cooperation between French universities and Yarmouk in various fields particularly in tourism and French language. They also pointed to the possibility of increasing the number of student visits to French universities through Erasmus+ exchange program, which constitutes an opportunity to enrich their academic and cultural knowledge.

The meeting was attended by the dean of the faculty of tourism and hotels, Dr. Mohammed Al-Shunnaq, director of international relations department, Dr. Mowaffaq Al-Otoom, and director of public relations and media, Mr. Mukhlis Al-Ibbini.

President of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, opened the "Arab and Foreign Communities National Heritage Exhibition", organized by the Student Welfare Department in the Deanship of Student Affairs, in cooperation with international students' club. The exhibition, which was opened in the presence of the Indonesian ambassador in Amman, had participants from 17 communities of international students studying at YU, and lasted for three days.

While touring the exhibition's sections, Kafafi stressed the importance of such events in familiarizing students with cultural diversities, and in integrating international students into university.

Kafafi added that the administration of YU takes good care of international students and is keen to provide them with whatever needed to refine their personalities, develop their skills, and introduce their cultural diversity, praising the active role of the Deanship of Students Affairs in organizing the event.

For her part, the dean of students' affairs, Dr. Amal Nseir, said that organizing such events aims at familiarizing YU students with the traditions of the participating countries, thus providing them with opportunities to learn about their culture, touristic sights and history.

The president of international Students' Club, Yaqoub Al-Rifai from Kuwait, praised the efforts of YU in providing international students with the academic atmosphere, as well as integrating them with the students’ body.

The students' communities that participated in the exhibition represented the countries of Turkey, Thailand, Indonesia, Syria, Singapore, America, Egypt, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, China, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Palestine. The exhibition included posters, photographs of tourist and religious places, popular cuisines, traditional and folk costumes, ceramics, silverware, straw works, brass, and popular perfumes and incense from Arab countries. It also included designs of cultural monuments, cultural and art performances and folkloric songs.

The opening of the exhibition was attended by deans and officials at the university and a crowd of university students.

It is worth noting that international students account for 10% of Yarmouk students, representing 43 Arab and foreign nationalities.

Organized by the Languages Center, president of YU, Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, attended a breakfast banquet with international students who are enrolled at the Arabic language program.

In his speech, Kafafi noted that Yarmouk embraces students from more than 40 Arab and foreign nationalities, stressing that Yarmouk, represented by the languages center, strives to teach them Arabic as well as Jordanian culture and traditions to enable them to learn faster and to be easily integrated with the local community. Kafafi also praised the Languages Centre’s staff for their continous efforts in teaching Arabic.

The director of the center, Dr. Lamia Hammad, for her part, stressed the importance of cultural openness and pointed out that Languages Center always seeks to embody meanings of respect and dialogue among different Islamic and foreign cultures. She further noted that the banquet aimed to integrate their students with other students, strengthen relationships among them, and familiarize them with Jordanian traditional dishes.

Students, for their part, thanked the center’s administration for offering them with a healthy educational environment, and thanked Yarmouk’s administration for organizing extracurricular activities that ensure their involvement in the student’s body.

The breakfast banquet was attended by members of the Council of the Languages Centre, a number of university officials, faculty members and officials of the Centre, and 80 students representing Malaysia, China, Korea, America, Spain, Turkey, Australia, Dagestan, and Greece.

Dr. Zeidan Kafafi, YU president, met with Dr. Michel Mouton, director of the French Institute for Near East Studies in Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, Dr. Falestin Naili, the Institute's official in Jordan, and Ms. Rawan Al-Homaimat, head of cooperation affairs at the French Embassy. During the meeting, the agreement, which was signed with the German Goethe Institut, the French Institute for the Near East Studies and the French Embassy in Amman was renewed to carry out a project on "Oral History in Jordan".

The agreement stipulates implementing a project on oral history in Jordan, funded by the German-French cultural center, the French Institute and the Goethe-Institut, in cooperation with the University Agency of la Francophonie. The project includes collecting oral testimonies on the First World War period from people who heard stories about it, to be collected by students from Jordanian universities: The University of Jordan, Mutah University, Al Hussein bin Talal University, Yarmouk University and the Jordanian National Library.

The project aims at training students and specialists to research oral history. It also aims at establishing a group of young researchers, creating a sense of importance of cultural heritage among them, and providing them with the tools and expertise required for such kind of research, especially that oral testimonies are  main sources of history in Jordan as well as means of documenting and analyzing historical awareness of the social groups that experienced that period.

Under this agreement, students from participating universities are to be trained on oral history research by experts of anthropology and history, through several workshops and training sessions.

The signing of the agreement was attended by the dean of the faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology, Dr. Hani Al-Hayajneh, the director of Al Hussein bin Talal library, Dr. Omar Al Ghoul, the director of public relations and media, Mr. Mukhlis Al-Ibbini, and several faculty members.