The suspension of ICDL Saudi Arabia by Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) has affected 78,000 candidates including 28,000 females. These candidates were about to complete the computer literacy certification program, Dr. Jamal Al-Hefdhi, General Manager, ICDL Saudi Arabia told a press conference here, Saturday. “About 78,000 aspirants, 36 percent of whom are females, for ICDL certification have been perturbed following the suspension of ICDL testing by TVTC on June 8, 2010” Al-Hefdhi said. Dr. David Carpenter, Advisor, ICDL Saudi Arabia and Marwan Al-Bawardi, CEO, Technical Knowledge for Advanced Education (Taqniyat Al-Maarifa), the sole operator of ICDL computer literacy program for Saudi Arabia were also present. Dr. Hefdhi alleged that TVTC has threatened to remove Civil Services accreditation so that in case testing resumes, candidates would want assurances that the Ministry of Civil Services recognize their certification. Out of a total 165 centers, 72 were female candidates operating under TVTC's supervision and delivering ICDL program in Saudi Arabia. However, the suspension of the program not only affected 78,000 candidates but incurred financial losses in revenues to the company. Al-Hefdhi said TVTC has launched a media campaign by leveling false and baseless allegations against the company's operations in Saudi Arabia. “The conflict between the TVTC and Taqniyat Al-Maarifa is purely financial and about take over (of entire operations) and an attempt to seize license of ICDL program in Saudi Arabia,” he added. Al-Hefdhi said Taqniyat Al-Maarifa over the past several years, has acted as the local governing body and certification authority of the global International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) program. A private training center must have a valid license from TVTC to be considered as an ICDL accreditation body. However, ICDL program not under the supervision of TVTC continued to offer at various universities and institutions. TVTC has stopped the same digital literacy certification program which has been endorsed by many of the best institutes of higher education in the Kingdom some of which have made the ICDL mandatory for their first year students, Al-Hefdhi said. “Unfortunately, TVTC started to contact these institutions and other non-private centers lobbying to stop the ICDL tests and accreditations,” he said. ICDL Saudi Arabia has been one of the most productive Middle Eastern arms of the computer literacy program. “We maintain close partnerships with some of the Kingdom's top governmental organizations including Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in pursuit of the promulgation of computer literacy throughout the country,” he said. The ECDL Foundation, the global governing body of the computer literacy program has presented special award to ICDL Saudi Arabia for persuading major Saudi universities to integrate ICDL certification into their academic programs during the 2009 ECDL Foundation Annual Global Forum, he said. “We were thus totally surprised to learn of the allegations leveled against us by the TVTC. One of the questions raised by the corporation is our legitimacy as the sole body handling the ICDL program in the Kingdom,” he said. He said ICDL Saudi Arabia has been working to advance the Kingdom's transformation into a knowledge-based society, and through the media support, “we shall move forward with this mission despite the actions of our detractors,” he said.
