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English Translation

by

Dr. Eid Dahiyat

 
The Law of The Academy

Law No. 8, 1999

Amendment of the Jordan Academy of Arabic Law

    We Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan 

    In Accordance with article (31) of the constitution, and in pursuance of the decisions of the Upper and Lower Houses of the parliament, hereby sanction the following law and decree that it be issued and added to the State laws.

    As a result of the issuance of the law No. 8, 1999, the law of the Jordan Academy of Arabic shall be read as follows:

Article (1):

    This law is to be called "Amendment of the Jordan Academy of Arabic Law,1999" and to be read with law No. 40, 1976, referred to as the original law, with all amendments made to it, as one law, effective as of the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

Article (2):

  1. The following words and expressions wherever they occur herein shall have the meanings specified below unless the context imports otherwise :

  • The Academy: The Jordan Academy of Arabic

  • The Minister: The Minister of Education

  • The President: The President of the Academy

  • The Secretary General: The Secretary General of the Academy.

Article (3):

  1. An Academy called "The Jordan Academy of Arabic" is to be founded in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It shall have a legal entity with administrative and financial independence; and, in this capacity, it shall have the right to exercise all legal proceedings and delegate the Attorney General on its behalf or appoint any other agent.

  2. The Academy is linked with the Minister, and shall have the city of Amman as the site of its headquarters.

  3. The Academy is entitled to exemptions and facilitations to which ministries and government departments are entitled.

Article (4) :

    The Academy shall work for the achievement of the following objectives:

  1. Preserving the correctness of the Arabic language, and enabling it to keep up with the demands of modern sciences and arts.

  2. Unifying the terms of sciences, literatures, and arts, and compiling dictionaries in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and the scientific, language, and cultural institutions inside and outside the kingdom.

  3. Reviving Arab and Islamic heritage in language, science, and arts.

Article (5):

    To realize the objectives purposed in this law, the Academy shall undertake to:

  1. Carry out studies and research pertaining to the Arabic language.

  2. Encourage authorship, translation, and publication, and conduct scholarly contests for that; and establish a library for the Academy.

  3. Translate the world masterpieces and publish books translated from and into Arabic.

  4. Convene language conferences inside and outside the Kingdom, and hold cultural seasons and symposia.

  5.  Publish the new terms that are duly unified in the Arabic language in the various mass media and disseminate them to the government departments.

  6.  Issue a periodical journal, called "The Journal of the Jordan Academy of Arabic".

Article (6):

    The Academy consists of the following:

  1. Working members comprising the Academy's Council, provided that a working member is appointed in addition to each working member being at least seventy years of age, and that the number of the Council's members exceeds not thirty.

  2. Supporting members.

  3. Honorary members.

Article (7):

  1. Subject to the provision of paragraph (b) of this article, the following requirements should be met in the working and supporting members: 

    1.  Should hold the Jordanian nationality.

    2. Should be at least forty years of age or above.

    3. Not condemned of any felony or misdemeanor that defiles honor and dignity.

    4. Should be proficient in the Arabic language enabling him/ her to participate in the Academy's works, and should have authored books in one field of science and knowledge, or have research or known translations.

  2. The supporting member should meet the requirements of the working member with the sole exception of the requirement of the Jordanian nationality. 

  3. The honorary member should be one of those who rendered valuable services to Arab studies.

Article (8)

    Acting on the recommendation of the Academy's Council, the Minister submits to the Council of Ministers names of one or more of the working members for the purpose of appointing one of them as the president of the Academy, provided that the appointment's decision is sanctioned by a royal decree. The President's salary and other financial rights are specified by the Council of Ministers.

Article (9):

  1. The working member is appointed by the agreement of the majority of  the Academy's Council, based upon a written recommendation, inclusive of the candidate's scientific qualifications as well as moral and ethical qualities, of at least two working members, provided that the decision is sanctioned by a royal decree.

  2. The supporting member is appointed by the agreement of the majority of the members of the Academy's Council, based upon a written recommendation, inclusive of the candidate's scientific qualifications as well as moral and ethical qualities, of at least one member.

  3. c. The honorary member is appointed by a decision from the Minister based upon the recommendation of the Executive Council that is formed in accordance with article (12) of this law.

Article (10) :

  1. The working member should participate in the works of the Academy's Council, including attendance of its sessions and of the committees he/she is participating in their membership.

  2. The supporting member may attend the sessions of the Academy's Council meetings, and participate in its deliberations and discussions without having voting rights as to its decisions.

Article (11):

    The working member shall lose his/her membership by a decision from the Academy's Council in any of the following cases:

  1. If he/she loses any of the membership's requirements.

  2. If his/her health does not allow him/her to participate in the Academy's works.

  3. If his/her resignation is accepted.

  4. If he/she does not attend five consecutive meetings of the Academy's Council without a legitimate excuse.

Article (12):

  1. The Academy shall be directed and its works supervised by an executive council comprising the President and four working members who are to be elected by the Academy's Council for three years. The Executive Office is to elect a vice president from its members.

  2. The Secretary General shall be appointed by the Minister based upon the recommendation of the Executive Office, and he/she shall be responsible before the President for the duties he/ she is entrusted with.

Article (13):

    The Executive Council shall have the following responsibilities and powers:

  1. Directing the administrative and financial affairs of the Academy, and supervising the facets of its activities.

  2. Preparing the annual budget project of the Academy and referring it to the Council of Ministers for ratification upon a recommendation from the Minister.

  3. Making the annual report on the Academy's works and the facets of its activities, and referring it to the Minister.

  4. Laying out executive regulations projects, and issuing instructions necessary for the implementation of the provisions of this law or any other laws issued in accordance with it.

  5. Preparing for and supervising the Academy's election.

  6. Forming the specialized committees for various subjects.

  7. Regulating agenda for the meetings of the Academy's Council and its annual conference.

Article (14) :

    The President shall assume the following responsibilities and powers:

  1. Implementing the decisions of the Academy's Council and of the Executive Office.

  2. Exercising the responsibilities bestowed upon him by virtue of this law and the regulations issued in accordance with it.

  3. Representing the Academy before other academies and organizations.

Article (15):

    The Executive Council meets on the convocation of the President twice a month or when the need arises; its meeting shall be legal if three members, including the President, attend, and its decisions are issued unanimously or by the majority votes. In case of a tie vote, the President's voice determines the result.

Article (16):

a.     The Academy's Council is to hold one regular meeting at least every month, and to be attended by those who wish from the supporting and honorary members, and from guests that the Minister or the President invite. The legal quorum is realized by the presence of the majority of the working members, and decisions are taken unanimously or by the majority votes. In case of a tie vote, the President's voice determines the result.

b.     The Academy Council's sessions should be closed and attended by the working members only when the session is devoted to the election of a new working or supporting member. The legal quorum is realized by the presence of at least two thirds of the members, and decisions are taken unanimously or by the majority votes.  

Article (17):

    The Academy shall hold an annual conference presided over by the Minister, and attended by the working, supporting, and honorary members and guests invited by the Minister or the President, to discuss the Academy's affairs and its activities according to the regulated agenda.

Article (18):

a.  The Academy's fiscal year begins as of the first of January of
each year, and ends on the thirty first of December of the
same year.

b.  The Academy's revenues consist of :

  1. The proceeds of the Academy's journal and other publications.

  2. The funds allocated to the Academy by the Council of Ministers.

  3. Grants and contributions donated by Jordanians to the Academy; the approval of the Council of Ministers is needed in case of grants and contributions of non-Jordanian origin.

  4. Profits from the investment of the Academy's capital.

c. The Auditing Council shall examine and audit the Academy's accounts according to the laws and regulations in force.

Article (19):

a.     Honorariums of the working members are specified by a decision from the Council of Ministers.

b.  Remunerations, honorariums, costs, wages, and all other financial rights that are incurred by the Academy in pursuit of achieving its objectives and goals, including remunerations, honorariums, costs, wages that are paid for essays, researches, translations, lectures, contests, authorship of books or translation or editing or revision of books, and purchase of rights hereon, and the manner and amount of payments, shall be specified by instructions issued by the Academy's Executive Office.

Article (20):

    The Council of Ministers may, upon the recommendation of the Minister , issue the necessary regulations to put the provisions of this law into effect, including financial affairs, administration, supplies, work contracts, and the affairs of officials and employees.

Article (21):   

    The regulations of the Jordan Committee for Arabicization, Translation, and publication (No. 11 for the year 1967) and all amendments made to it are repealed, and any other legislation conflicting with the provisions of this law is also repealed.

Article (22):

    The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are hereby obligated to implement the provisions of this law.

   

Abdulla Ibn Al-Hussein

On 6/3/1999

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