BY DENNIS UDOMA, Uyo
The ongoing Outcome Based – Education (OBE) workshop organized by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), is to equip the engineers in the academics and universities administrators with requisite skills to train students with the knowledge required in the engineering profession.
Registrar of COREN, Professor Adisa Bello made this known at the “Train the Trainers Workshop for Engineers in academics, Registrars, Heads of Departments of Engineering, Faculty/Departmental Examination Officers and Deans of Engineering in the universities in the South – South region.
He expressed worry over the quality of Engineers graduated from the Universities system noting that, many Engineering graduates could not adapt professionally to workplace situations hence the need for curriculum review to enhance standards.
Prof. Bello said, the workshop was expedient to assemble ideas and ways to update and enrich engineering curriculum that would engender professionalism in the discipline stressing the need for engineering invocations to be driven through Outcome – Based Education (OBE) to entrenche in graduates simple engineering methodology for internalisation, practice and expression at workplace.
According to him, “the objective has been to recognise and acknowledge the value – added in transforming students admitted into engineering programmes with sound knowledge of the fundamentals, an acceptable level of professional skills and personal competence for ready employability in the national economy”, ecallinh that, 52 years after the existence, COREN is faced with existential realities that make it necessary to change the paradigm of the Nigerian engineering education system.”
“There is expansion of engineering programmes in variety and number at various engineering faculties. This makes it necessary for COREN to strengthen its accreditation system.
“Secondly, the rapid pace of globalisation and emerging technologies, make it necessary for engineering faculties to meet the requirements of local employers and international job markets in the engineering and technology sectors.
“COREN needs to mediate in regulating the processes that lead to local and international recognition of engineering qualifications from higher educational institutions in Nigeria. Such mutual recognition is expected to improve the quality, proficiency and mobility of COREN registered Engineers.”
The Registrar further disclosed other measures in the engineering reforms by COREN to include ; “working out modalities presently for the implementation of NUC-COREN joint accreditation of engineering programmes.
“Based on identified gaps in Knowledge, Skills, Competencies and Proficiencies, COREN has identified the following needs/areas to train, certify, equip, empower and engage all interested Engineering
Practitioners to carry out COREN regulatory activities in the 10 identified engineering sectors (Oil & Gas, Mining, Marine, TeleCommunication, Power, Manufacturing, Aviation, Agro-Allied, Aviation and Transportation).
The Vice – Chancellor, University of Uyo, Prof. Nyaudoh Ndaeyo who was represented at the event by the VC, Academics, Prof. Anthonia Essien welcome the participants to the workshop and urged COREN not to limit the OBE teaching innovations only to engineering discipline, but should be extended to cover virtually all academic programmes for quality assurance amongst university graduates.
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