HIKAYAT SIMSIM PREMIERES NEW SEASON ON JORDAN TELEVISION

Amman, JORDAN, and New York, NY, April 25, 2007
It’s not everyday government officials are greeted by fuzzy and furry hands. Jordan’s Minister of Education Dr. Khaled Toucan and United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Mission Director Anne Aarnes, were at Jordan Television (JTV) to meet Tonton and Juljul, a couple of bright, bold and funny Muppets who greeted everyone with smiles, songs and laughter. But it wasn’t all fun and games. Tonton and Juljul are on a very serious mission – to help instill in young Jordanian children the fundamentals of education. 

The occasion was the launch of a new season of Hikayat Simsim, which will premiere on JTV on May 1, 2007, and will deliver a daily dose of engaging educational content in an effort to better prepare children for school. Hikayat Simsim is the local Jordanian adaptation of the world renowned educational program Sesame Street, which has educated children in over 120 countries since its debut in 1969. 

Hikayat Simsim is co-produced with Jordan Pioneers in Amman and is part of a broader educational initiative made possible by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in support of the educational objectives of the Jordan Ministry of Education. The innovative public/private partnership seeks to engage media, government, the private sector, NGOs and the donor community in providing a better future for Jordan’s children.

The Director General of the Jordan Radio & TV Corporation, Mr. Faisal Shboul, stressed the importance of this production, saying: “Hikayat Simsim is a qualitative addition to children’s programs because it is an up-to-date production that reflects the major challenges our children face as a result of the information revolution and its flow. This necessitates dealing with the children’s world in ways that suit their levels of thinking and different lifestyles. Hikayat Simsim is an actual translation of these dimensions and world—whether through methods and styles of treatment, narratives and dialogue or through the family settings. It is important to note that this production is the fruit of the successful partnership between the Jordan Radio & TV Corporation, the Ministry of Education and the United States Agency for International Development.”

 “Through commitment to our partnership, the U.S. and Jordan are ensuring that this generation’s greatest resource – children – will in turn provide future generations with a better and brighter Jordan,” said USAID Mission Director Aarnes.

Khaled Haddad, Hikayat Simsim’s Executive Producer, Jordan, adds, “Hikayat Simsim helps to fill a gap in the production of educational and entertaining programs for children in Jordan. Through extensive research and development, we’ve created local Muppet characters who appeal to young children through cleverness and humor relevant to their everyday lives, while the animation and live action segments help foster self-esteem and mirror our rich cultural heritage. We’re proud to be a part of Sesame Street, the longest street in the world.”

Hikayat Simsim is a part of the Sesame family of educational media initiatives produced by Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational organization. Sesame Street, the largest informal educator of children worldwide, has a roster of initiatives in countries such as Egypt, South Africa and India that encompass multi-sector partnerships to sustain and enhance the local programs.

“We are thrilled to once again work with Jordan Pioneers, with funding from USAID, on producing a series that encourages Jordanian children to laugh and learn and discover the world around them,” said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO, Sesame Workshop. “Through the television program and outreach materials, we’re hoping to reach as many families as possible with relevant content that will encourage a lifelong love of learning.”

Targeted to 4-7 year olds, Hikayat Simsim features Arabic-speaking Muppets, animation and live action segments to help children learn basic skills related to literacy, numeracy, healthy habits and critical thinking. The program helps develop local capacity in early childhood education, research, content development, production and educational outreach. Carefully researched and culturally appropriate segments provide engaging content for pre-school age children.

This season features the dynamic Muppet duo (Tonton is a confident and enthusiastic 4-year-old, while Juljul is a patient, well-mannered and very neat six-year-old), as well as their grandfatherly confidant, Jiddo Simsim, or “Grandpa Sesame.” Together, the friends explore their imagination. Hikayat Simsim offers engaging messages about girls’ education, early literacy development, appreciation for diversity, health and nutrition and cultural pride particularly in language, art and music.

In addition to the television series, a comprehensive outreach initiative will extend the series’ messages. The campaign includes a partnership with the Ministry of Education, Jordan River Foundation, the Hashemite Fund for Human Development and more than 20 other Jordanian educational institutions and NGOs to produce and distribute 25,000 copies of activity and story books to children and their families. Additional educational materials have been designed for use in a variety of settings including early childcare centers, preschools, kindergartens and homes. The materials are teachers’ guides, home videos, parents’ guides and educational posters.