Professor Clement K. Sankat Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal,

The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine, Trinidad, W.I.

Engineering for Regional Development –The Engineering for the Americas Initiative

Civil Society Roundtable MeetingOAS Headquarters-Washington DC

July 28th , 2008

“The difference between a developed, rich and prosperous country and an undeveloped, poor and wretched country is the difference in their levels of scientific, engineering and technological advancement. It is not progress in sports; it is not refinement in culture; neither the colour of skin; nor rhetoric or erudition in debate on the floor or the United Nations. It is simply Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) advancement. The G7 countries achieved their enviable status because they are the greatest SET nations in the world. They do not need to win medals in the Olympics or Arts Festivals. In the comite of nations, honour and respect go only to great Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) countries. That is the only parameter that classifies, distinguishes, honours or degrades. A nation neglects Science, Engineering and Technology at its own peril”

(Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, 1993)

The Faculty of Engineering, UWI, St. Augustine.

Engineering Curricula in Developing Countries

A tendency for the curricula to be too academic and overloaded with intellectual content while being unrelated to practical realities existing in the particular developing country;

Use of engineering curricula that are overloaded with pure science and mathematics at the expense of basic engineering and technology.

Inadequate provision in the curricula for industrial exposure/industrial training of students.

Obsolete, broken-down or non-functioning equipment and ill-equipped laboratories.

(Mafe, WIJE 28(1): 1-12, 2006)

Inadequate provision for the humanities, social sciences, business management concepts and entrepreneurial skills development in the curricula;

Lack of balance between depth and breath in the curricula; and

Lack of emphasis on engineering technologies in the curricula.

Engineering Curricula in Developing Countries

“It is obvious from the foregoing observations that the current corps of engineering and technical graduates from universities and polytechnics in

developing countries, however well-qualified in the academic sense, are not well-equipped or motivated to participate in their countries’ development through the creation of endogenous technologies and their subsequent development into small-scale industries.”

(Mafe, WIJE 28(1):1-12, 2006)

The emphasis has traditionally been on technical depth but now breadth of education is crucial to its effectiveness.

Basic Sciences and Mathematics Engineering Sciences Engineering Design and Manufacture, Applications Complementary Subjects – Emphasis on Management

and Social Sciences, Professional Ethics, Environmental Studies, Health & Safety etc.

Engineering Education

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Industry exposure and awareness

Educating for Creativity

What Professors should do

Tell students to be creative, that Engineering is about creativity and innovation, teach students creative

methods, help them in this, challenge them to be creative and

accept and reward students’ creative efforts.

[Wankat and Oreovicz, 1993]

The• Additional emphasis on team/group working• An increase in the use of industrially-relevant

applications of engineering analysis• An enhanced capability for independent learning

and work• Case studies• Design work and projects • To have greater capacities for independent action• Accepting responsibilities• Formulating ideas proactively• Planning and developing strategies• Implementing and executing agreed plans• Leading and managing teams where required• Evaluating achievement against specification and

plan, and decision making• Preparing students for subsequent leading roles

in technical &/or managerial activities

Rising Expectations of Professional Engineers

OAS/USTDA:: Engineering for the AmericasNovember 29- 2 December, 2005

Lima, Peru

“Capacity Building for Job Creation and Hemispheric Competitiveness”

Some thoughts from this symposium are presented “Engineering for the Americas”

Build Local Engineering Capacity to create knowledge that ensures the solution of local needs and opens the chance to compete for global opportunities. Engineering excellence is a key ingredient in the application of science and technology to the solution of the world’s economic and social problems to achieve economic growth.

*The “knowledge-based economy” heralds an era in which the importance of innovation and engineering has surpassed that of capital. Participants saw knowledge as the principal source of wealth and progress and stressed that the quest for excellence in the training of engineers, the establishment of national accreditation systems, quality assurance, and mutual recognition were becoming key factors for competing in the “knowledge-based economy” or “flat world”, as writer Thomas Friedman calls it.

*OAS Engineering for the Americas Symposium, Lima, Peru – November 29 – December 2, 2005

Knowledge-Based Economy

The The notion of the Engineer of the 21st Century represents

a change of paradigm, whereby an engineer today must

help to create himself/herself, not look for work but create

it. They must be a world class engineers, leaders,

visionaries, and entrepreneurs, committed to the social

environment and with a clear sense of the common good.

Participants in the symposium emphasized the need to

boost collaboration between industry and academia.

The Engineer of the 21st Century

*OAS Engineering for the Americas Symposium, Lima, Peru – November 29 – December 2, 2005

The

*The urgent need to start the process of establishing

standards and accreditation procedures for engineering

education throughout universities in Latin America and the

Caribbean, with the objective of providing the regions with

World class engineers; ready and qualified to participate

and execute engineering mega-projects in the region or

in today’s globalized arena.

Building World Class Engineers Through Standards and Accreditation

*OAS Engineering for the Americas Symposium, Lima, Peru – November 29 – December 2, 2005

Engineering for the Americas “The Objective”

To promote economic and social development through quality engineering education for innovation and hemispheric collaboration in job creation; EftA seeks to develop and sustain a qualified pool of engineers that will work as an engine for industry competitiveness and actively anticipate, understand, and plan for a complex future in a globalized economy.

ENGINEERING FOR THE AMERICAS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE OAS Higher education systems for Engineering in the

Americas that are comparable and converge (eg: Bologna Agreement)

Continuously build the quality and reputation of Engineering Programs in the Americas

Build and strengthen National Accreditation Systems

Develop Regional Accreditation bodies that utilize global standards & best practices

Regional Accreditation bodies work towards being signatories of the Washington Accord

Clearly if the developing countries are not to persist in their economic backwardness, they must transform their economies from a primary, raw material exchange economy or a natural resource-based type to a production economy or a diversified technology based type. Technology is “perhaps the greatest of God’s gift as it offers to the poor of the Earth, a shortcut to wealth, a way of getting rich by cleverness rather than by back-breaking labour”. It is no surprise, therefore, that the Asian Tigers have recently treaded this path with considerable success, leading to prosperity and great improvements in the standard of living of their peoples.

(Okigbo, 1996)

Conclusion

If we are going to build a competitive region of the Americas, the Quality of our Engineering Education must be at global standards and hence, the initiative of the OAS- “Engineering For the Americas” must be vigorously supported by all our countries working in a networked and collaborative manner.