The Signing and Unveiling Ceremony of International Center for Engineering Education under the Auspices of UNESCO was held in Beijing on the morning of June 6, 2016. Irina Bokova, Director-General of United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization(UNESCO), Zhou Ji, director of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), Wu Qidi, the former vice-minister of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Qiu Yong, president of Tsinghua University, Yang Bin, vice-president of Tsinghua university and executive director of International Center for Engineering Education of UNESCO attended this ceremony. Zhao Xian’geng, a Party member of the CAE, presided over this event.

On behalf of UNESCO, Irina Bokova congratulated the International Center for Engineering Education on its establishment, and expressed her thanks to people from all walks of life for their support for engineering education development. She said that over the past decades China has made remarkable achievements and that engineering has become an important engine driving the transformation of this country. She hoped that this center will be able to push forward the industry-university cooperation and education innovation on a regional and international basis, and will make engineering benefit all mankind by further strengthening the cooperation between UNESCO and China in the engineering field. 

Zhou Ji congratulated this center on its establishment on behalf of the CAF, and indicated that the CAF will join hands with Tsinghua University to jointly perform the agreement content earnestly, do a good job of construction and operation of this center steadfastly, and actively undertake and accomplish tasks entrusted by UNESCO, thus contributing to the development of world engineering education and the cultivation of engineering scientific and technological talents of developing countries.

Qiu Yong said that the establishment of the International Center for Engineering Education is a great event in the international engineering education field that is worth celebrating. It is the honor and responsibility of Tsinghua University to set up secretariat of this center in this university. According to Qiu, internationalization of engineering education has become a worldwide trend, and institutions for higher education serve as an important base for training engineering scientific and technological talents. As a major base for cultivating high-caliber talents and conducting research on science and technology, Tsinghua University has always attached great importance to promoting the academic and scientific research through international cooperation and exchange. The establishment of this center provides an opportunity to advance the agenda of reform on China engineering education. Qiu hoped that through this platform China will be able to strengthen cooperation and exchange with other countries, and jointly promote the development of world engineering education, and ensure that engineering technology creates a better future for mankind.

At this ceremony, Zhou Ji and Bokova signed the agreement on behalf of the Chinese government and UNESCO respectively. Zhou Ji, Bokova, Qiu Yong, and Wu Qidi inaugurated the International Center for Engineering Education together. Yuan Si, vice Chairperson of Tsinghua University Council and executive director of the International Center for Engineering Education of UNESCO, Qian Yi, professor of School of Environment and academician of the CAE, Wang Sunyu, secretary-general of the International Center for Engineering Education, etc. were present in this event. 

The signing of the agreement marks that under the direction and support of UNESCO, the International Center for Engineering Education will, based on the goal of implementing UN’s “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and on the core mission of improving the global engineering education and promoting fairness, emphasize the innovation drive and industry-university cooperation, focus on training scientific and technological talents, and endeavor to become a high-level talent cultivation base, a research and consultation center of think tank type, and an international exchange platform.  

The CAE and Tsinghua University officially applied for setting up the International Center for Engineering Education of UNESCO in September 2014. In November 2015, this center was officially approved at the 38th General Conference of UNESCO to be set up. It will become the world’s only engineering education-themed class II body under UNESCO, with secretariat based in Tsinghua University.

More than 70 people, including representatives from UNESCO, the CAE, the MOE, Beihang University, Zhejiang Universities, etc., and principals of School Office, Online Education Office, Engineering Education Research Center, Institute of Education, Graduate School, Office of Director of General Affairs, School of Continuing Education in Tsinghua University, and National Educational Guidance Committee for the Postgraduate of Engineering, etc., attended this signing and unveiling ceremony.

About two-thirds of Tsinghua University’s subjects are related to engineering education. With over 840 academicians and over 40 foreign academicians, the CAE is the highest honorable and advisory academic institution in the field of China engineering science and technology, which is committed to innovative development of engineering science and technology and growth of engineering scientific and technological talents. Both parties have established close cooperation, organized and carried out a series of advisory research and academic exchange activities, making great contributions to the national cause of engineering education.

(Photos by Yuan Jie)

Source: Tsinghua University News