Alfaisal University under the supervision of Dr. Faisal Al Mubarak, Provost and CAO (Chief Academic Officer), recently signed a strategic partnership with IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Australia to become the official IELTS testing center in the region. Within the framework of its ambitious plan in cooperation with international bodies, the aim is to support all students who wish to complete their studies in local and international universities. Alfaisal University has IELTS as one of the admission requirements for programs and courses that require the English language proficiency.
Alfaisal University has made significant efforts in attracting international stakeholders. “Alfaisal is aggressively pursuing opportunities to forge functional partnerships with prestigious global partners such as IELTS,“ commented Prof. Nouredine Zettili, Acting Dean of the College of Science & General Studies at Alfaisal University (AU); “a co-branding partnership between AU and IELTS is a win-win and highly rewarding proposition for both sides.” Many of those who took the IELTS exams at Alfaisal University acknowledged the level of professionalism of Alfaisal staff and the state-of-the-art examination hall which helped to attract over 2000 test takers in the latest few months.
The representatives of the IELTS Australia in the Middle East, namely Dr. Maher El Bakry Regional Director for the Middle East, Mr. Darren Vardon, Director of Development and Operations, Dr. Sabry Shehata, IELTS General Manager, Saudi Arabia and Mr. Marwan Jaradat, IELTS Manager had visited the university and were impressed with the infrastructure and the preparations to run IELTS examinations.
IELTS has been designed in a standardized way with key assessment skill components of the English language that includes speaking, listening, reading and writing. IELTS is recognized by 9,000 educational and governmental institutions to assess the English language. IELTS is owned by IDP IELTS Australia and the British Council in addition to the University of Cambridge, and these institutions are known for their commitment to academic standards and a deep understanding of the students’ cultures around the world. The latest statistics indicate that the number of test takers of IELTS last year was approximately 2 million.