MEDIA RELEASE. For Immediate Release. Total: 7 pg(s) including this pg

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1 MEDIA RELEASE For Immediate Release Total: 7 pg(s) including this pg Media Contact Ms Valerie Neo Admin Executive, Corporate Communications DID: valerie@iesnet.org.sg Ref No: MR/07/01 Singapore, Wednesday 28 March 2007 WASHINGTON ACCORD ENTRY MARKS A MAJOR MILESTONE FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION IN SINGAPORE The Institution of Engineers (IES), through its Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB), has obtained full signatory status in the Washington Accord (WA) in June 2006, and will be celebrating the milestone with a dinner ceremony at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel on Wednesday 28 March Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance, will be gracing the joyous occasion with his presence. By entering the WA as a full signatory, IES is now a qualified non-profit organization to accredit engineering programmes in Singapore and internationally. This marks an important milestone in Singapore s engineering education as local universities can now seek accreditation of their engineering programmes through EAB instead of foreign accreditation organizations. The accreditation of programmes benefits the following stakeholders in the following ways: - Parents and students can make an informed choice with regard to a recognized course of study; - Graduates of accredited programmes will be mobile as their qualifications are recognized by WA signatories as substantially equivalent in satisfying the academic requirements for the practice of engineering at the professional level; 1

2 - Employers are assured that the quality of accredited engineering programmes has met the quality standards set by the EAB; and - Universities will be able to improve and develop its engineering programmes to better meet the needs and expectations of the industry through the process of accreditation. The Practice of Accreditation Accreditation is a process of external quality review used by higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities and educational programmes for quality assurance and quality improvement. 1 It is an on-going process as the initial earning of accreditation is not entry to indefinite accredited status. Accreditation assures that a programme has met quality standards set by the engineering profession and is highly regarded by employers, graduate schools, and licensure, certification and registration boards. The Washington Accord Signed in 1989, the Washington Accord (WA) is an agreement between the bodies responsible for accrediting professional engineering degree programs in each of the signatory countries. It recognizes the substantial equivalency of programs accredited by those bodies, and recommends that graduates of accredited programs in any of the signatory countries be recognized by the other countries as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering. The WA covers professional engineering undergraduate degrees. Engineering technology and postgraduate-level programs are not covered by the WA. Before obtaining full signatory status, qualifying members enter as provisional members. A provisional member must demonstrate that the accreditation system for which it has responsibility appears to be conceptually similar to those of the other signatories of the Washington Accord. By conferring provisional status, the full signatories have indicated that they consider that the provisional signatory has the potential capability to reach full signatory status; however, the awarding of provisional status does not in any way imply a guarantee of the granting of full signatory status. 1 Extracted from The Fundamentals of Accreditation, September 2002; Council for Higher Education Accreditation, Washington, USA. 2

3 The WA signatory countries with full signatory status are listed as follows: Country Signatory Organisation Entry Yr Australia Institution of Engineers, Australia 1989 Canada Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers 1989 Hong Kong Hong Kong Institution of Engineers 1995 Ireland Engineers Ireland 1989 Japan Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education 2005 New Zealand Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand 1989 Singapore Institution of Engineers, Singapore 2006 South Africa Engineering Council of South Africa 1999 United Kingdom Engineering Council 1989 United States Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology 1989 Details of the Washington Accord can be found at URL: Singapore s participation in the Washington Accord through the EAB For more than 30 years, engineering programmes in Singapore have been assessed for substantial equivalence or accreditation by overseas accrediting bodies, particularly engineering institutions of the United Kingdom. More recently, some programmes have also been assessed by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) of USA. With the support of the Professional Engineers Board (PEB), the local universities and the Association of Consulting Engineers (ACES), the Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB) was established in 2002 under the leadership of the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES). 3

4 Role and Objectives of EAB The EAB was set up to fulfil the following roles: To implement the accreditation policy of IES Council; To formulate guidelines and procedures for accreditation; To appoint Evaluation Teams to accredit engineering programs; To receive and review evaluation reports by the Evaluation Teams, and decide on whether accreditation should be granted, as well as the conditions to be imposed, if there is such a need; To receive and respond to complaints and appeals regarding the accreditation process; To represent IES in mutual recognition agreements with other countries; and To report periodically to IES Council on its work. Through its accreditation system, EAB aims to fulfil the following objectives: Ensure that accredited programs satisfy the requirements for corporate membership of the Institution of Engineers Singapore in the area of academic qualifications and are benchmarked to meet the standards of other mutual recognition agreements entered into by EAB, including the Washington Accord; Assist stakeholders as well as potential students and their parents, professional societies, and potential employers, in identifying specific engineering programs that meet the minimum criteria for accreditation; and Provide feedback to the educational institutions for the improvement and development of educational programs in engineering that can better meet the needs of the local industry. Please refer to the EAB Accreditation Manual (Nov 2006) and EAB Guide for Accreditation Visit and Report (Nov 2006) available for download on URL: for more information regarding the accreditation criteria and processes of EAB. EAB as a Multi-Agency Body Having consulted the various stake-holders, IES has re-structured the EAB as a multi-agency body of which it will still continue to lead. IES has invited National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), UniSIM, the Association of Consulting Engineers Singapore (ACES), A*STAR, and the Professional Engineers Board (PEB) to partner it by nominating representatives to serve on the EAB. The composition of EAB, from October 2006 to September 2009, is as follows: 4

5 Composition of EAB Chairman Er. Dr Lock Kai Sang Secretary Er. Ong See Ho Past President, IES Commissioner of Building/Director Building and Construction Authority Immediate Past Registrar, PEB Members Er. Tan Seng Chuan Er. Chua Koon Hoe President, IES President, PEB Er. Chan Kok Siong Professor Cheong Hee Kiat Er. Prof. Chew Yong Tian Er. Lee Chuan Seng Er. Prof. Seeram Prof. Pan Tso Chien Dr. Lim Khiang Wee President, ACES President, UniSIM Past President, IES Professor, NUS Chairman, Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner (SEA) Pte Ltd Dean, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore Dean, College of Engineering Nanyang Technological University Deputy Executive Director, A*Star Programmes Accredited by EAB Since its formation in 2002, EAB has completed 5 accreditation visits. programmes from NUS and NTU have been accredited as follows: A total of ten 5

6 Name of Institution National University of Singapore (NUS) Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Accredited for Programme Name programme commencing in year Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering) Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial and Systems Engineering) Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering) Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical and Production Engineering) Enquiries All enquiries should be directed to the following address: The Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB) c/o The Institution of Engineers Singapore 70 Bukit Tinggi Road Singapore Tel : Fax :

7 History of IES The Institution of Engineers, Singapore was formally established on July 1966 as the national society of engineers in Singapore. Corporate Membership of IES signifies recognition of engineering experience and accomplishments. IES maintains close links with professional organisations of engineers throughout the world. These include organizations in Australia, China, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States. The Institution also represents Singapore in the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations (AFEO) in promoting goodwill and fellowship among all engineers in ASEAN. IES is the premier engineering Institution in Singapore and is called upon by the Government to provide feedback on professional engineering matters. This is evidenced by the large numbers of government committees on which IES members sit. IES sees this as a crucial role since there is no other learned body in Singapore that can represent all engineers in serving the national interest. IES is also well represented among the faculty members of the major engineering institutions of higher learning in Singapore. These include National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and Nanyang Polytechnic. Through seminars, courses and publications, IES works with these institutions to advance engineering education in Singapore. IES is moving to accredit major engineering organisations in Singapore to provide for simplified paths to membership for engineers trained in these accredited organisations. For more information, please visit **END** 7