The 24th edition of the Japanese Language Speech Competition was held today at the University of Jordan, with participants from various Jordanian universities and those interested in learning the Japanese language.
The contest, held under the patronage of the President of the University of Jordan Prof. Nathir Obeidat and in the presence of the Japanese Ambassador in Amman, Mr. Jiro Okuyama, and a representative of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aimed to introduce Japanese culture, present the skills of Jordanian students studying it, and evaluate their ability to use it.
The competition, organized by the Department of Asian Languages at the Faculty of Foreign Languages in collaboration with the Japanese Embassy, the JICA Foundation, and the Jordanian Association of JICA Alumni in Jordan (JAAJ), is divided into two parts: Five participants from the University of Jordan, Hashemite University, and the Jordanian Alumni Association (JICA) delivered the lyrics of a Japanese song of their choice, and five participants gave speeches in Japanese about their favorite proverbs.
Prof. Nahed Emaish, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, praised, on behalf of the university president, the existing and ongoing cooperation between the faculty and the Japanese embassy, as well as the support provided by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), noting that the university was the first to include the Japanese language in its courses in Jordan, with plans to launch a baccalaureate program in Japanese Language soon.
The Japanese Ambassador in Amman, Mr. Jiro Okuyama, for his part, expressed his joy at the competition's return after a two-year hiatus, and thanked the university for its permanent hosting of the event, noting in his speech his pleasure at the annual increase in Japanese language learners, expressing his hope that this would contribute to increasing knowledge of Japanese culture.
The contest's final results showed that Reina Habaibeh, middle school student, won the first prize in the rhetoric category, and Aya Al-Sadawi, a student, came in second place. In the recitation part, Safiya Al-Sharif, took second place, and Muhammad Al-Qirem won the first prize in the recitation section.
source:http://ujnews2.ju.edu.jo/