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HE al-Dousari ... ministry is committed to e-Governance

THE Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture (MMAA) has signed an agreement with the ICDL GCC Foundation to improve the IT skills of all the ministry’s employees.

The ICDL GCC Foundation is the governing body and the certification authority of the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) programme in the Gulf States.

The agreement was signed between Municipal Affairs and Agriculture Minister HE Sultan bin Hassan al-Dhabit al-Dousari and ICDL Foundation director-general Jamil Ezzo in the presence of Fadhel Hajes al-Kaabi, the director of the Development Institution at the ministry and executive manager of the ICDL training centres.

"Through this agreement, the MMAA will endorse ICDL as the benchmark for IT literacy and basic computer skills for all its employees," an official release said.

Under the terms of the agreement, the ICDL GCC Foundation will accredit two in-house training and testing centres within the ministry.

The ICDL GCC Foundation will also work closely with the ministry to manage the training, testing activities and the certification of around 2,000 employees initially.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, HE al-Dousari said: "Qatar is undergoing growth and development. The ministry’s decision to adopt ICDL global digital literacy standard for its employees is part of our commitment to provide outstanding service to the country’s rapidly growing economy.

"The MMAA has chosen the ICDL programme as part of its vision to enhance the competency of employees to better use the IT systems adopted by the ministry, increase interactivity with the public and raise the quality of the ministry’s services.

"The move by the ministry is expected to have a major impact on the quality and timely completion of various projects in the country, greater streamlining of its processes and improving efficiencies of its staff members," the release said.

"In addition, the ministry is totally committed to the e-Governance vision adopted by the government of Qatar, and therefore adopting the ICDL programme is an important step taken in this direction," the note quoted the minister as saying.

Al-Kaabi said improving the capabilities and competencies of the staff is a key objective of the ministry, especially after its various departments and municipalities achieved the ISO 9001-2000 certification, beginning with the minister’s office and the IT department.

The accreditation of two in-house training and training centres is aimed at ensuring that the holder of the ICDL certification has sufficient knowledge about computers and is equipped with basic IT skills.

"It also seeks to enhance their efficiency and productivity at the workplace, whether at the administrative level or at the decision-making level."

The certification covers seven test modules, which are Basic Concepts of Information Technology (IT), Using the Computer and Managing Files, Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Database, Presentation, and Information and Communication.

For the training, al-Kaabi said the employees will be divided into three categories on the basis of their knowledge about computers.

"After sorting the employees according to special assessment tests, the number of training hours required for each employee and the subjects to be included in their curriculum will be determined.

"Upon completion of the required training, each employee will undertake tests and, if successful, will be awarded the ICDL certification."

More than 2,000 ministry employees will undergo the training over the next two years.