In many developing economies, it is the cost of technology that proves prohibitive for some sections of society, ensuring their continuing marginalization from techno savvy circles. In the Middle East and particularly the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with its relatively high liquidity and strong public sector sponsorship, the issue is less a matter of affording technology and more about understanding how to use it effectively.While basic tools such as desktop computers are not hard to source, they are not much use when learners lack the skills to use them. These socially marginalised technophobes aren’t necessarily lacking the tools but the know how to extract advantage from them.

Enter the International Computers Drivers Licence’s GCC Foundation. The ICDL is a competency standard for computer use, recognised in over 140 countries. Less a training course and more a competency standard acknowledged through testing, the ICDL is based on the original European Computer Driver’s Licence (ECDL) that was first set up in 1996. The success of the European concept spurred an international expansion, with the programme being known as the ICDL outside of Europe.

“The EDCL programme was originally funded by the European Union Commission to promote digital literacy among the younger generation and the workforce in EU member states. The EU realised that the knowledge economy needed a programme that would step people up to a basic level of competence,” explains Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation.

“The programme was brought over to the Arab world by the United Nations. It was an initiative to address the large digital and knowledge divide in the region. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Orgnisation [UNESO] started working in partnership with educational institutions, ministries, policy makers, universities in the region to establish the ICDL as a benchmark for competence,” he says.

Ezzo notes that most users only operate their technology at a fraction of its capabilities. Their skills may be enough to get by, but not sufficient to actually enjoy the advantages brought about through the use of IT. This is particularly true in the Middle East, where computer skills are usually selfacquired and not the result of formal training.

“In the Middle East, there are not many formal methods of learning the effective use of technology. The onus is on people to learn IT skills themselves, usually informally. As a result, people occasionally do not fully come to terms with the nuances of competent IT use. For instance, technology misuse can put users, and others they interact with, at risk. Misuse does not have to be deliberate. For instance, users may not protect themselves sufficiently against viruses or malicious code.They may also engage, albeit unknowingly, in actions that propagate the spread of viruses and other threats. Then there are the issues of intellectual property – computer users who have self-schooled themselves may not entirely understand the importance of upholding intellectual rights,” Ezzo notes.

The ICDL’s basic remit is to allow a person to ‘drive’ a computer with the same ease they might a car. The certification’s stated aims are to reduce user support costs, enable employers to invest more efficiently in IT, and ensure that best practice and quality issues are understood and implemented. It is a not for profit, vendor neutral initiative that teaches the responsible use of computers and the operation of common business applications.

According to Ezzo, the ICDL was widely taken up in the Middle East, and quickly became a de facto standard for the region’s public sector. Not only was the programme implemented in curricula at school and university level, but was also endorsed by educational ministries as an essential for teachers and administrators. Sheikh Rashid Al Makhtoum, the former ruler of Dubai, stipulated that all public sector educators acquire ICDL certifications to ensure familiarity with technology tools in the Dubai Education Zone, now part of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

How does the ICDL GCC Foundation contribute to narrowing the literacy divide? “The ICDL GCC Foundation is a not for profit orgnisation. We do not print and test ourselves, but instead emphasise the development of a network of affiliates and partners like test centres, publishing companies, education providers and policy makers. ICDL’s affiliates offer learners the necessary training to acquire certification, perform testing and provide coursework. Our aim is to propagate the ICDL standard, and ensure its availability to all interested public and private sector orgnisations. All test centres, training institutions and coursework providers must be accredited by the ICDL GCC Foundation. “It is an imperative that testing and training procedures are up to global standards, because the basic purpose of the ICDL GCC Foundation is to provide a certification that is recognised globally,” says Ezzo.

So does a digital divide exist in the Middle East? Ezzo thinks that there is certainly much work to be done to bring the Arab world to a level of technological proficiency enjoyed by developed economies.He believes that the GCC has an advantage over other countries in the region in bridging the divide.

“The GCC countries have the liquidity and the public sector funding to ensure that their citizens have access to technology. For instance, most GCC governments are financially supporting indigenous learners acquiring ICDL certifications as part of their jobs. In countries like Sudan, Syria and Egypt, economic barriers add yet another dimension to the issue of equitable access and training. It is nevertheless imperative that we keep working towards higher digital literacy. Digital literacy is inextricably linked to socio-economic growth. It creates job opportunities, and brings more money into the economy. Digitally literate citizens can become involved in entrepreneurial opportunities, or become employable, thereby increasing economic dynamism,” he says.

Ezzo notes that an important motif of fighting the digital divide the ICDL way is vendor independence. He thinks that the proliferation of technology and software applications has resulted in consumer choice, which can make access easier.

“To date, vendors have been dictating market standards, which may have had the effect of stifling choice and creating lock-in. This can result in further barriers to access, and limits to innovation. ICDL makes it a point to create awareness of the different options available to IT users. For instance, there are many open source platforms available for free that consumers can use without paying licencing fees. Google Documents is a good example. Giving users choice allows for better and more varied access to technology tools and also reduces the attraction of piracy,” he explains.

But if ICDL certification becomes a prerequisite for certain public sector jobs, wouldn’t that actually create further barriers to entry for those who seek public sector employment? Not at all, according to Ezzo.The testing follows course participation that teaches basic computer skills. The ICDL actually certifies that the potential employee can use computers with competence, and confidence. Establishing the ICDL as a prerequisite to public sector employment actually ensures that employees will be more productive and assured when they start work. This will result in better service delivery levels and higher productivity.

The ICDL initiative is active in Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.“We are happy with the regional progress in adopting digital literacy programmes at the public sector level.While this is a useful first step, the ICDL GCC Foundation is now looking to address access divides faced by differently abled technology users. We are collaborating with providers developing course content in Braille and audio. We are also working towards increasing our spectrum of certifications for different needs.Much still remains to be done,” concludes Ezzo.

The ICDL offers:
■ Certification that is recognised worldwide as showing competency in fundamental computer skills across most commercial software platforms (Microsoft, Lotus, etc.).
■ Supervised testing that guarantees every certificate holder has done the work and passed all the tests.
■ Return on Investment for a company that can count on a fundamental level of competency from all its employees.
■ A basic level of competence that helps address the knowledge divide in the use of digital tools.