The ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body of the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) programme in the Gulf States, and the International School of Choueifat (SABIS®) regional office, have signed an annual accreditation agreement to implement the requirements and international standards of the ICDL programme in the International Schools of Choueifat (SABIS®).
Each Choueifat school will have an internal ICDL accredited testing centre. ICDL testing will become available to all students and teachers of these schools.
“This is a significant move that makes ICDL accessible to the student community of Choueifat Schools,” said Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation. “The agreement comes in line with ICDL’s approach of encouraging the systematic teaching of the use of computers in schools, thereby providing students with a strong foundation to become resourceful and self-directed learners.”
“The ICDL GCC Foundation is working at different levels to integrate the ICDL program with the educational systems across the region. ICDL has already been implemented by a large number of schools and universities in the Arab world, while several education ministries have made the program mandatory for their staff. We expect the accreditation agreement with the International Schools of Choueifat to encourage more academic institutions to adopt the ICDL program to empower students with essential IT skills,” Ezzo added.
The Choueifat schools that will become ICDL accredited are the International School of Choueifat, Abu Dhabi, The International School of Choueifat, Dubai, The International School of Choueifat, Ras Al Khaimah, The International School of Choueifat, Sharjah, The International School of Choueifat, Al Ain, Ruwais Private School (run by Choueifat), The International School of Choueifat, Doha and the Modern Education School (run by Choueifat), Muscat, Oman.
“Over the last 27 years, thousands of students have graduated from the International Schools of Choueifat in the Gulf and then graduated from the most prestigious universities in the world,” said Mr. Ramzi Germanos, Regional Director of the International School of Choueifat. “We are happy to receive accreditation from the ICDL GCC Foundation, and we believe the world-class ICDL qualification may give our students a competitive edge in their future careers, as the program is universally recognised.”
“Choueifat Schools already have a strong Computer Science syllabus that allows 12-13 year olds to pass the ICDL exams and move on to more challenging qualifications in Computer Science. Passing the ICDL exams at an early age gives our students an edge. Teachers of all disciplines will be strongly encouraged to obtain this qualification,” Germanos added.
Choueifat students will be able to take the ICDL tests within their school, which will now be official centers for these tests.
The Choueifat group of schools is part of the SABIS® Education System which currently runs 31 private and government schools in eleven countries in four continents. SABIS® offers educational management products and services to private and public schools.
About ICDL
International Computer Driving License (ICDL), is an internationally recognized computer proficiency standard that is owned by the European Computer Driving License Foundation (ECDL) and introduced by the UNESCO's Cairo Office (UCO) for Arab states in 2001, is gaining increasing acceptance in the Middle East, with several governments adopting and prescribing it to their employees. The ICDL program exists in over 140 countries, and is offered in 36 languages, including Arabic. The programs offered are all based on one standard syllabus and question set. There are more than 26,000 centres worldwide, above 5 million candidates, more than 1 million issued certificates and over 20 million exams have been taken globally since the launch of the program year 1997.
About ICDL GCC Foundation
ICDL GCC Foundation was created by the ECDL Foundation, the not-for-profit global governing body of the ECDL and ICDL member countries dedicated to helping raise the general level of computer skills in societies and providing access for all to the information society, to serve the to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States with their implementation of ICDL and for providing them with localized support to ensure quality of ICDL programs. The ICDL GCC Foundation is the sole accreditation body that is responsible to support ICDL accredited training and testing centers in the GCC. It also acts as the reviewing and approving body for the local adaptation of ICDL programs.
