Mauritius seeks Global Engineering Accreditation Recognition

A roundtable on the application, by the Institution of Engineers Mauritius (IEM) and the Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB), for signatory status of the Washington Accord was held, today, at the State House in Réduit, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Dharambeer Gokhool, who is also the Patron of the Institution of Engineers Mauritius.

The objective of the roundtable was to chart out a programmatic roadmap to achieve the signatory status of the Washington Accord.

The Washington Accord is an international agreement between organisations responsible for accrediting professional engineering degree programmes aimed at facilitating the global mobility of professional engineers through a common standard for quality professional engineering education across participating entities. Under the Accord, accredited engineering degree programmes from one member organisation are mutually recognised by all others.

Heads of various institutions namely the Higher Education Commission (HEC), EAB, IEM, the Quality Assurance Authority, and universities as well representatives of different Ministries participated in the roundtable. On the occasion, the Acting Chair Engineering Accreditation Board, Mr Jagadish Soobarah, made a presentation to put forth the challenges, opportunities, and strategic pathway towards achieving signatory status to the Washington Accord.

In his address, President Gokhool highlighted the requisite for Mauritius to align its educational standards with international benchmarks to enhance academic quality, strengthen credibility, and position itself as a trusted global education hub. “The vision,” he said, “is in line with the National Strategy for Higher Education, Science and Research 2025–2035, which places strong emphasis on internationalisation, quality assurance, and the global recognition of qualifications.”

According to Mr Gokhool, engineering remains central to addressing key national challenges, including climate resilience, infrastructure development, water management, digital transformation, renewable energy, and food security. He further emphasised that these priorities are intrinsically linked to the ambition of transforming Mauritius into a knowledge-driven economy capable of attracting talent, fostering innovation, and enhancing global competitiveness.

The President also called for a stronger collaboration between the HEC, the Council of Registered Professional Engineers, and universities in a bid to strengthen standards, quality assurance mechanisms, and institutional alignment. “Achieving full signatory status will demand robust systems, strong institutional collaboration, and unwavering adherence to international standards,” he added.

08 May 2026

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Topics: Education