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Bruneians who do not speak English will soon have access to an internationally recognised computer literacy course in their own language.

Local providers of the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) certification are planning to launch Brunei's first Malay-language computer literacy course at the upcoming Book Fair 2007 on February 25.

The course, called e-Citizen, is a foundational programme specially designed by the ICDL certification board to help functionally computer illiterate individuals familiarise themselves with Internet use and online communication.

To increase the accessibility of the course, ICDL training companies Bitex and Syarikat Hidayah have roped in translators from the Language and Literature Bureau to offer the course in Malay.

The course aims to include non-English speaking individuals who will be potentially at a disadvantage in an W driven information culture, such as the unemployed, senior citizens and individuals who do not normally have access to computers.

Access to computer literacy education is strongly linked with socio-demographic factors such as income, gender, age and level of education, particularly English proficiency.

Studies have warned of a widening development gap between the more affluent and poorer countries, due to non uniform access to technologies intended to enhance service delivery and information-sharing.

In the case of significantly wealthier Brunei, it is hoped the idea will appeal to all levels of society in the country, in accordance with efforts to embrace computer literacy as a social standard.

So far, sources have revealed that members from Brunei's Women's Council will be participating in the course's first batch.

"The ICDL drive is a private initiative to help the government realise its aim of creating a computer literate society," said Mohd Mahathir Abdullah, Chief Executive of Bitex, currently the most prominent provider of ICDL courses in Brunei Darussalam.

Providing a frame work to educate the public on the basics of computer usage, he said, would prepare them for a lifestyle, involving more advanced technologies in the future.

"We don't have to go far to see examples to aspire to - in Singapore, everything is automated and largely involves ICT (information and communications technology), and as a standard every household enjoys affordable and reliable broadband," he added.

Accepting an international benchmark for computer literacy could help the sultanate to fulfil its vision of becoming a highly competent society, and also cut costs for employers.

Mohd Mahathir said individuals who can prove that they are able to multitask and manage themselves efficiently with the help of software applications have a better chance of landing a job, as this will reduce dependency on administrative staff.

"Most people don't seem to be aware of the vast range of functions in (Microsoft) Office applications," he said. "For example, financial modelling can be done in Microsoft Excel, and most administrative task management can be done in Microsoft Outlook --there is really no need to invest in expensive software."

Ensuring that workers were up to standard on computer literacy would provide them a common protocol in the workplace, he added.

BAG Networks was one of the first private companies in Brunei to make it mandatory for new recruits to pass their ICDL prior to confirmation.

Following the launch of the first ICDL programme in' the country, 'the Ministry of Education supported the initiative by enrolling more than 300 teachers and administrative staff.

In December last year, the Authority for Info Communication Technology Industry, AiTi, announced its InfoComm Competency Training Programme, under which the organisation hopes to train a total of 29,500 people in five years.