Saudi Arabia Skill Test Program Postponed Amid Protests

Kathmandu. The mandatory skill testing program that Saudi Arabia was supposed to conduct from Wednesday has been postponed. The 'Industrial Training Institute Nepal Pvt. Ltd.', which was opened to conduct the 'Skill Testing Program' (SVP) in Basundhara, has announced the postponement by posting a notice. The training institute posted the notice of postponement after foreign employment entrepreneurs started protesting from the morning. The entrepreneurs had surrounded the training provider institutions, alleging that they were trying to extort money from workers in the name of skill testing and selling certificates by creating a monopoly. However, the Saudi Embassy has not issued any formal notice regarding this. Workers will have to pay an additional fee of 15,000 rupees for this skill test. A fee of 50 dollars was to be charged for the examination and 50 dollars for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). On Wednesday, the Saudi Embassy in Kathmandu had announced the start of the skill testing program by posting a notice. The embassy stated that labor visas would not be issued if a certificate of passing the skill test was not presented.