ICC condemns US sanctions and vows to continue 'providing justice'    US judge halts Trump's government worker buyout plan    150 female inmates raped and burned to death during Goma jailbreak    102 snakes removed from Sydney homeowner's garden    Salvador Dalí art comes to India for the first time    King Salman and Crown Prince condole with Swedish King over deadly school shooting    SR2000 fine will be slapped if cats or rodents found inside a food facility SFDA seeks public opinion on draft amendments to Food Law    Saudi Arabia's population crosses 35 million, with non-Saudis constituting 44.4%    Saudi Arabia voices regret over fatal shooting in Sweden    Heading into a new journey, JAECOO J8 is shaking up the luxury off-road market    Al Rajhi Bank announce a strategic partnership with MuhideFinTech Platform to authenticate and govern SMEs' trade finance transactions    Indian media pile into lawsuit against OpenAI chatbot ChatGPT    Sweden mourns after deadliest shooting as gunman details emerge    GEA hosts mass wedding of 300 couples at "Night of a Lifetime" celebration during Riyadh Season 300 cars and housing as gifts for the newlyweds    Food Culture Festival kicks off in Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter    Saudi Arabia to present 'The Um Slaim School: An Architecture of Connection' at Biennale Architettura 2025 Syn Architects explore Riyadh's architectural heritage, fostering new pedagogical approaches and global dialogue    Al Hilal reclaims top spot in AFC Champions League Elite with 4-1 win over Persepolis    Billionaire philanthropist Aga Khan dies    Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice as Al Nassr thrashes Al Wasl 4-0 in AFC Champions League Elite    Al Ahli extends unbeaten run with 3-1 comeback win over Al Sadd in AFC Champions League Elite    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Young Saudi exposes coveted HRDF prize; minister orders probe
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 03 - 11 - 2015

RIYADH – The Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF), an affiliate of the Labor Ministry, is facing charges for allegedly fabricating success stories of Saudi youth in the name of Israr Prize. Labor Minister Mufrej Al-Haqabani has ordered an investigation into the scandal.
The HRDF's alleged foul play was exposed after a Saudi youth circulated a message through Twitter, saying he was asked to participate in the program promising him a job but HRDF did not fulfill its promise. Al-Haqabani also instructed authorities to employ the youth immediately.
Shoura Council member Hashim Rajih advised the young Saudi to file a lawsuit against the HRDF and urged the minister of culture and information not to air such fabricated programs that cheat the public.
"The prize has deceived not only the public but also the young Saudis who were lured to present fabricated success stories by giving job promises," Rajih said.
He also urged the prize's sponsors to take legal action against the organizers if they were unaware of the fabricated stories. "If they were aware, then they should also pay the price for cheating and exploiting unemployed youth," he added.
The Israr Prize has received wide media publicity with the support of prominent media personalities who participated as its judges and in its prize distribution ceremonies.
The prize, which was instituted two years ago to encourage young Saudi men and women to tell their success stories, hit a snag when the youth revealed that awards were given for fabricated stories. He also indicated that many other young men were exploited for the program.
HRDF gave SR500,000 to the first prizewinner, SR150,000 for the second, SR100,000 for third and SR70,000 to the fourth place winners respectively. It also distributed cash prizes worth SR10,000 each to 150 outstanding participants. Other prizes valued SR680,000 bringing the total to SR3 million.
The youth's tweet raised questions about the credibility of the prize and the success stories that were presented during the past two years. Organizers of the prize have been told to explain why did they promote fabricated stories spending huge amounts of money.
According to the young man, the organizers had told him that only one of the six contestants would be selected for jobs. However, they said work contracts would be signed with other participants, who will be given free training to get jobs for a salary of not less than SR12,000.
Organizers had taken a written undertaking from the youth that he would not demand any share of the program's revenue. The young man said he arrived from the Eastern Province to Riyadh for shooting at 6 a.m. but was not given any accommodation or food. Officials then explained to him and other participants how to present their stories.
On the second day, the young man said, a number of Afghans were brought in and the organizers told every one of them to select and train four of them in five minutes. The youth also alleged the organizers kept them waiting on the roof of the hotel under the sun while the anchor was sleeping.
When asked for the work contract, the youth was asked to wait until the completion of shooting and that they will contact him after a week. "I have been waiting since the middle of last year till today, nobody contacted me," he said.
In the meantime, the program director called him by phone and told him not to tweet anything about the prize and that he would be given a free training course.
The youth urged the minister to stop the fabricated prize that deceives young Saudis and the public.


Clic here to read the story from its source.