Editor’s Note: On March 4, 2023, as one of the global events of UNESCO World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, Engineering and Engineering Education — Monographs of Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) Member ZHU Gaofeng and ICEE Book Series Publication Symposium took place at Tsinghua University. The symposium focused on the theme of the new book series of Engineering and Engineering Education by CAE member ZHU Gaofeng, SUN Yongfu, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) member GU Binglin, Prof. YU Shouwen, and ICEE. WANG Zhenhai, Director of Bureau II of CAE, delivered a speech. The following are the key points of his speech.
 
It’s pointed out in the Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that “Education, science and technology, and human resources are the foundational and strategic pillars for building a modern socialist country in all respects.” Research on engineering and engineering education can provide a significant theoretical basis for building the engineering education system, and play an important part in building engineer teams with outstanding technological innovation and problem-solving capabilities, as well as building a contingent of personnel with expertise of strategic importance.

CAE has always been attaching great importance to the strategy and consultation research on engineering education. In 1998, with support from veteran CAE members such as ZHANG Guangdou and ZHANG Wei, it established the first special committee, that is the Education Committee of CAE (the Committee). Since its establishment, the Committee has united the outstanding talents to conduct a series of strategy and consultation research on major issues regarding China’s engineering education development and talent cultivation reform, and served as a brainpower pillar for the long-tern planning of reform and development of China’s engineering education. In March 2022, the Ministry of Education and CAE held a consultation meeting and decided to jointly carry out strategic research on the five aspects, i.e. strategic research on engineering education, deepening the cultivation of outstanding engineers, innovating the collaboration mechanism among enterprises, universities, and research institutes, reconstructing the engineering education in vocational education, and developing high-level international exchanges and cooperation, including pilot programs for engineering education pedagogy sub-disciplines. In September 2022, the Office of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee issued an official document to promote the pilot programs in 10 universities. In November 2022, the universities held a symposium at Tsinghua University and established the Alliance of Engineering Education Pedagogy Discipline Construction of Higher Education Institutions in China, which is a meaningful event.

ZHU Gaofeng is the first Chairperson of the Education Committee of CAE and an expert in engineering education. Engineering and Engineering Education represents the crystallization of his research on engineering and engineering education over the past decades, and embodies his insights into engineering education as a strategic study and a branch of learning. CAS member GU Binglin, CAE member SUN Yongfu and WANG Yuming, Prof. YU Shouwen, and Prof. WANG Sunyu, etc., who have long supported the Committee and ICEE in conducting strategy and consultation research, have a profound understanding of the reform and development of engineering education in China and ardent expectations of its future. The monographs released today reflect the progress made in research on engineering education and are of great importance in guiding China’s engineering education reform.

“Victory is ensured when people pool their strength; success is secured when people put their heads together.” High quality development of China’s engineering education requires continuous efforts of Chinese people over generations. I hope that the younger generation of engineering education researchers can inherit and carry forward the aspirations of their predecessors who always bear in mind the country’s most fundamental interests, pass them on from generation to generation, and strive to succeed through hard work. The Education Committee of CAE will continue supporting the engineering education research and unite all forces for a better ICEE.

Group photo