University students design eco-mosques for Queen Alia competition

AMMAN — The Queen Alia Competition for Social Responsibility this year challenged students to come up with designs for eco-mosques.

To compete for the 2013/2014 “Jo-Green” award, university students had to design an environment-friendly mosque, which led them to unleash their “greenest ideas”.

The projected mosque would be built on a 2,816-square-metre plot of land at a cost of JD225,000 donated to the Awqaf Ministry by a philanthropist.

The top three teams of engineering students showcased their designs during a ceremony on Tuesday to honour winners and supporters of the annual competition.

The winners are from the Jordan University of Science and Technology, the University of Jordan, Ahlia University and the Applied Science University.

“The Jo-Green award targets university students to recognise their energy and creativity in coming up with innovative ideas to address environmental and economic challenges,” HRH Princess Basma said at the ceremony.

She cited the influence the Queen Alia competition has had over the years on school and university students in highlighting the significance of environment issues.

Moreover, the princess pointed out that one of the most important achievements of the award, launched in 1995, is granting its proceeds to two “great national” projects: Al Rajaa School for deaf students and the Mutah Centre for Special Education.

She also commended the role the Education Ministry plays in providing teachers to work at the two facilities, stressing the need to provide them with more trained teachers.

Al Rajaa School will receive JD50,000, the Mutah Centre will get JD25,000, and JD10,000 will go physical therapy units.

The competition’s proceeds are collected from application fees.

The Princess honoured 160 individuals and entities that support the competition, which is organised in cooperation with the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development.

The annual contest seeks to shed light on prominent issues such as water, the environment and health, and to raise public awareness on ways to address these issues.