Agreements with private sector institutions to establish nurseries
09-07-2016
The national Council for Family Affairs signed on Monday cooperation agreements with a number of institutions from the private sector to establish nurseries (daycare centers). The agreements are part of an NCFA project to support and activate the establishment of nurseries in private sector institutions in a bid to stimulate women to participate in the labor market, which is also one of the projects of the National Employment Strategy in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and is funded by the Employment, Technical and Vocational Education Training (E-TVET) Fund.
The Secretary General of NCFA, Fadel Al-Hmoud indicated that the project executed by NCFA is in line with Article (72) of the Labor Law which stipulates that" the Employer who employs a minimum of twenty female married employees should provide a suitable place under the custody of a qualified governs to care for the employees' children of less than four years of age provided that the number is not less than ten children".
The project, by encouraging employers to establish model institutional nurseries, aims to encourage women to participate in the labor market through the provision of (80) nurseries in their workplaces. It also aims to provide (755) work opportunities for unemployed females registered at the Civil Service Bureau, who are holders of a diploma in childhood or other related disciplines. It also offers training opportunities for (888) female work seekers on early childhood care skills and day care work.
On his part, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Labor, Hamadeh Abu Nijmeh stressed the significance of having nurseries at the workplaces, noting the decline in the participation of women in the labor market despite their qualification and efficiencies due to the lack of suitable safe places to leave their children during their working hours.
Abu Nijmeh underscored the importance of participatory work among the different sectors and the encouragement of women to engage in the labor market.
The project is expected to establish 45 model institutional nurseries in terms of equipment and cadre by the end of this year, to reach 80 nurseries by the end of 2016.
Signatory institutions were the University of Petra, the Isra' Hospital, Al-Isra' for Education and Investment/ Al-Isra' University, The Children Museum, Needle Craft Company, Al-Azya' Al-Amalya Apparel company , Soft Clothing Industry Company, EAM Maliban Textiles, and Classic Fashion Apparel Industry Company for Jeans and clothing/ Ajloun
