His Majesty King Abdullah II Friday said that Man has been our key target of development.

In a letter he sent to day to Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb, His Majesty stressed keenness on investment in human being in order to prepare a generation of young people capable of thinking, analysis, creativity and distinction, and aware of their duties and rights towards their homeland and nation.

Following is the full text of the King's letter:

"Dear Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb, I send you my gracious greetings and wishes.

Our vision for building Jordan the model has proceeded from key bases that form, in total, important requirements to achieve sustainable, social and economic development, and afford ambience where justice, freedom and dignified life would be the most prominent aspect.

Our Belief has firmly been that Jordanian human being is the target and base of development, while our keenness has been focused on the importance of investment in Man in terms of education, training and rehabilitation, in order to prepare a generation of young people capable of thinking, analysis, creativity and distinction, as well as aware of their rights and duties towards their homeland and nation, and keen on participation in the various stages of working and construction.

As you know, higher education has formed one of our national priorities as a key challenge before our development march during the recent period, where it was one of the pivotal topics discussed in the 2nd National Economic Forum held in the Dead Sea during March 31 - April 01, 2001, and it was handled as an important pivotal topic in the strategy of human resources development prepared by the Consultative Economic Council and it was considered in the Education Forum in Future Jordan held in mid September last year, and in the 2nd National Economic Forum held in Aqaba in October last year.

God be praised, positive results emerged, where scores of accomplishments achieved on the way of higher education development, such as reconsideration of universities curriculum's plans and programs, and focusing on teaching English and information technology, as well as establishment of centers specialized in teaching-staff's capabilities, in addition to computerization of all university activities and implementation of numerous reforms to deal with universities financing.

Proceeding from the importance of higher education and scientific research in speeding up the process of reform and modernization which is intensively undergoing, and the requirements of the coming stage that needs graduates with skills and capabilities needed to deal with the various technical and technological development, armed with values and behaviors of work, production, accomplishment and distinction, and depending on what have been achieved during the past three years of education computerization, focusing on foreign languages skills and development of curriculum and teaching regulations in the school stage, we are in need to carry out a comprehensive study on the challenges that face higher education, and to prepare working plans and clear timing programs in order to implement our vision for the development of this sector.

But before this, it is essential to carry out a series of instant measures to be sure of the existence of proper ambience for development and lifting up the standard of higher education sector, where the most important is to carry out legislative reforms that would allow:
- To give a bigger role to the private sector to participate in making the future of higher education, through increasing its representation in the Higher Education Council, and facilitating its participation in affording more opportunities of distinctive higher education for Jordanian and non-Jordanian student alike.
- Continue studying the issue of financing universities to ensure supplying them by the needed resources, through continued reconstruction of university fees, and establishment of a financing fund for needy students to be financed by the various sources, mainly government support to universities.
- Introduction of conceptions of quality and specifications control in the various higher education components and stages, through establishment of an independent institution to apply world specifications.
- Reconsider policies of admission to universities in order to achieve the biggest possible harmony between the students' desires and the specialization available for them, through studying means of admission on the level of colleges and facilitating measures of transformation from one socialization to another within the college.
- Affording mechanisms proper to launch and patronize students who enjoy the ability of distinction and creativity and to encourage scientific research and development.

Our ambitions, that we seek to achieve are big, and need pooling efforts of every one of us, and we are called upon to support and take care of youth and discover their capabilities because they should be the first to enjoy care and support, and they have a responsibility to show their ability of competition and distinction and to aware their creativity which will draw the features of the homelands' future as well as its future generations."