Union Minister for Industry Dr Charlie Than left Yangon for Jakarta, Indonesia, on 3 March to attend the first-ever World Engineering Day (WED 2026) ceremony, held from 3 to 5 March under the theme Innovative Engineering for a Sustainable Future. The event was jointly organized by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) and the Institution of Engineers Indonesia (Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia, PII), with the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
On 4 March, the Union minister attended the opening ceremony of the Strategy and Vision High-Level Dialogue at the Balai Kartini – Exhibition and Convention Centre in Jakarta.
At the ceremony, PII President Mr Ilham Akbar Habibie delivered a welcoming speech. This was followed by UNESCO Director Ms Maki Kasuno Hayashikawa reading the UNESCO message, and opening remarks by WFEO President Professor Emaratus Dr Seng Chuan Tan and Indonesian Minister of Economic Cooperation Mr Airlangga Hartarto.
In the afternoon, the Union minister, together with Former WFEO President Mr Mustafa Shehu, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ms Meutya Viada Hafid, and Deputy Minister of Public Works Ms Diana Kusumastuti, attended a panel discussion titled Smart Engineering for a Sustainable Future. The discussion emphasized the need to develop not only engineering education but also a skill-based education system to foster the growth of modern engineering in developing countries.
The Union minister highlighted that the success of modern engineering education in developing countries, where advanced technology and skills are limited, depends not only on acquiring technology but also on building human resources capable of deploying, managing, and maintaining it. He stressed that the Engineering Human Resource Pyramid must be established by integrating skill-based education with engineering education. Engineers alone are not sufficient; technicians must maintain systems and continuously enhance the capabilities of skilled workers. By successfully implementing this approach, countries can create a modern and innovative engineering profession, accelerate economic competitiveness and industrial modernization, and build a sustainable future with resilience and inclusiveness.
The Union minister was accompanied by President of the Myanmar Engineering Council Dr Aung Kyaw Myat, Chairman of the Committee on Education in Engineering of WFEO Dr Zaw Min Aung, and Vice-President of the Federation of Myanmar Engineering Societies U Tin Latt.
The Union minister returned to Yangon from Jakarta, Indonesia, by air yesterday morning.
MNA/MKKS
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