Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
The Council for the Regulation of Engineering Assembly in Nigeria (COREN) has said it is set to transit the Nigerian Engineering Education System to Outcome-Based Education (OBE).
This, according to the council, was to unable its engineers practice overseas.
The move, COREN hinted was also to raise the profile of engineering education in Nigeria and indeed Africa, wherein it’s decided to benchmark its engineering qualifications against those of nations that have attained international standards.
Disclosing this in his opening speech at the 28th COREN Engineering Assembly, the President of the Council, Engr. Ali Rabiu, stated that the move was the trend across the world and was part of requirement for COREN to attaining the Provisional Signatory Status of the Washington Accord (W.A.) under the International Engineering Alliance (IEA).
According to him, “It is my hope that by this time next year COREN will have become a member of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA).”
The good thing about this, Rabiu revealed is that, “Nigerian Engineers would be able to practice in all signatory economies of the Washington Accord including, China, America, United Kingdom, Germany among others.”
Speaking further, he observed that the Council was presently in the process of adopting a framework for engineering activities monitoring and control in the country.
“This is aimed at maintaining stability and inspire confidence in the practice with the overall benefits meant to favour economic growth and generate more employment opportunities and provide abundant resources for industrialisation and increase wealth of stakeholders,” he added.
The COREN boss, informed that through its various regulations, “is therefore poised to sanitising the industry hence, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), other stakeholders and the general public are hereby requested to ensure maximum compliance.”
Speaking in similar vein, Chairman of the occasion and governor of Katsina State, Hon. Aminu Masari, in his keynote address, urged the Nigerian Engineers to wake up to their profession through the proper utilisation of the nation’s natural resources.
According to him, “The Nigerian population will double in few years to come with its attendant impact on the infrastructure, the onus lies on the engineers to deploy science and technology into addressing the nation’s infrastructural challenge”
Masari, urged them to come up with new models and designs to cushion the effect of climate change, adding that there was the need to improve on engineering education to bring the country out of the current state.
