Staff Writer
The Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) has now resorted to the services of its lawyers at Metcalfe Beukes and Attorneys to contest a decision by the Engineering Council of Namibia (ECN) to cancel the recognition of certificates and degrees attained via online distance learning.
ECN representative, Charlse Mukwaso, has submitted that engineering is too complex a profession and that it needs hands-on practical learning as opposed to learning via a computer desktop.
“I think you would agree with me that engineering is one of the most highly practical and technical professions in the world, and we benchmark our standards and requirements against established protocols like normal trends.”
“But we also look at the interest of our own industry. The Engineering Council has the authority to do everything it can to protect the profession in the country so that we can guarantee public safety of Namibians in Namibia. You do not learn engineering by watching videos,” he said.
However, the EIT argued that its mode of teaching is fully compliant with those employed and utilised by academic institutions globally in the 21st century.
Their lawyer said they utilize a combination of online learning, with remote and virtual laboratories, face-to-face hands-on workshops, work integrated learning, interaction with working professionals in the engineering industry, and external stakeholder input pertaining to engineering diplomas and degrees.
The industry wide memo was circulated on the 25th of March 2022, and the resolution was taken on the 9th of February 2022 by the ECN.
“Qualifications obtained in entirely online or through distance learning cannot and will not be recognized by the Engineering Council of Namibia, and holders of such qualifications are not eligible for registration under any categories and disciplines of Engineering,” it reads.
In the meantime, the resolution has come down to affect undergraduate engineering education that is offered in a 100% online or distance regimeen.
In an 8th of July 2022 letter to the ECN, lawyer, Richard Metcalfe, decried that this has caused some consternation in graduates of EIT who practice the engineering profession in Namibia and who are currently gainfully employed.
“This has regrettably prompted rather arrogant submissions to your esteemed office by our client, Engineering Institute of Technology’s academic personnel, to which you have understandably responded in kind.”
“This unfortunate stand-off however causes stress and uncertainty in Namibian qualified graduates of Engineering Institute of Technology. Respect is a cardinal aspect of Namibian culture, and we hence address this correspondence to you with the utmost respect in order to reach an amicable solution in the best interests of our client as well as its alumni in the engineering profession in Namibia,” said Metcalfe.
The lawyer submitted that when considering whether a certain qualification is accredited, regard must be given to the curriculum and syllabus of an institution thus making it imperative that each application and its accompanying qualification must be considered on its own merits.
He added that rules promulgated in terms of the Engineering Profession Act 18 of 1988 as per Government Gazette No 91 of 1988 stipulates that an investigation of these institution’s syllabus, curriculum and examinations must be conductedd.
This, according to him, is to determine whether their qualifications are accredited and whether applicants may be registered using those qualifications.
“At no stage has the Engineering Council of Namibia complied with the mandatory provisions of Rule 8.1, 8.2 and/or 8.3 in arriving at its decision as set out in its Industry Wide Memo of 25 March 2022 (Annexure “B”). v. Neither has such decision been submitted for Ministerial approval and/or published in the Government Gazette in as much as it appears to purport to apply to Engineering Institute of Technology,” said the lawyer.
He said his client is equally recognized by the Washington, the Sydney, and the Dublin Accords.
Metcalfe also submitted that at least 150 graduates from EIT are employed by an array of engineering companies in Namibia of which the major companies include NamPower, Debmarine, Rössing Uranium Limited, Namdeb, Ohorongo Cement, Namcor, Swakop Uranium and Erongo Red.
Mukwaso, however, said their intention to discourage more engineers being churned into the system via online distance learning.
“These days you can get any qualification on the internet, you can get it under a tree. But at the end of the day we are established for a purpose and that purpose is to make sure that you, yourself, have trust in the engineers that we have in the country,” he said.
