In the second half of the twentieth century the Arab countries, by enlarge, have witnessed burgeoning activities towards the creation of higher learning institutions. Arab countries with no exception feel a dire need for focusing on higher learning; this is manifested by the establishment of special ministries within Arab governments that closely monitor higher education within each Arab country. Perhaps this is a result of a nostalgic rebirth desire of what Arabs had in their golden days of yore. Arabs have noticed that, at this day and age, their hope for a bright future hinges upon their ability to keep par with modern technology as it forms a common language among civilized nations. To date, Arab universities have made modest dent in advanced engineering, if any, and their deliveries fall short of what is desired; they are perpetually challenged to make it to the top rankings worldwide.

To confront such a situation and to provide incentives to the academic community the following paper suggests a discourse aiming at the establishment of a fully-fledged and a politically independent academic accreditation body for engineering study programs. This is obligatory because foreign accreditation usually includes subtle linkage of esoteric strings that do not always conform to national values. The Arab League must spearhead the proposed discourse with an adventurous yet optimistic action plan targeting development undertakings in the Arab World. In order to safeguard the proposed academic board against political polarization it is suggested that it remains an independent entity within the Arab League but with well-defined and unanimously approved terms of reference and a clear mandate. This helps create a positive environment inductive for academic competition, would make available an internal audit process and would add to the lingering cooperation among Arab learning institutions and among Arab men and women dedicated to education excellence. 

In the second half of the twentieth century the Arab countries, by enlarge, have witnessed burgeoning activities towards the creation of higher learning institutions. Arab countries with no exception feel a dire need for focusing on higher learning; this is manifested by the establishment of special ministries within Arab governments that closely monitor higher education within each Arab country. Perhaps this is a result of a nostalgic rebirth desire of what Arabs had in their golden days of yore. Arabs have noticed that, at this day and age, their hope for a bright future hinges upon their ability to keep par with modern technology as it forms a common language among civilized nations. To date, Arab universities have made modest dent in advanced engineering, if any, and their deliveries fall short of what is desired; they are perpetually challenged to make it to the top rankings worldwide.

To confront such a situation and to provide incentives to the academic community the following paper suggests a discourse aiming at the establishment of a fully-fledged and a politically independent academic accreditation body for engineering study programs. This is obligatory because foreign accreditation usually includes subtle linkage of esoteric strings that do not always conform to national values. The Arab League must spearhead the proposed discourse with an adventurous yet optimistic action plan targeting development undertakings in the Arab World. In order to safeguard the proposed academic board against political polarization it is suggested that it remains an independent entity within the Arab League but with well-defined and unanimously approved terms of reference and a clear mandate. This helps create a positive environment inductive for academic competition, would make available an internal audit process and would add to the lingering cooperation among Arab learning institutions and among Arab men and women dedicated to education excellence. 

Conference Title

Engineering Education and Scientific Research Conference

Conference Country

Lebanon

Conference Date

Sept. 7, 2018 - Jan. 1, 2018

Conference Sponsor

اتحاد المهندسين العرب