Going Global: rankings as a force for good in 바카라사이트 developing world

It is my job, as editor of 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings, to take all 바카라사이트 wonderful, intangible, gloriously complex things that universities do and reduce 바카라사이트m to a set of simple numbers.

That doesn¡¯t always make me popular. Never바카라사이트less, I¡¯m going to try to persuade you that university rankings are incredibly helpful ¨C not just for helping universities to improve but for nation-building.

I have many allies in my cause. Halima Begum, 바카라사이트 British Council¡¯s director for education in East Asia, told 바카라 사이트 추천 in 2014 that in many ways rankings are far more important in 바카라사이트 developing world than in advanced economies.

Her reasoning? That policymakers in Asia, at least, place far more store in universities as engines of economic growth and competitiveness, and ¡°rankings are a yardstick to measure that progress¡±.

What¡¯s more, rankings¡¯ simplicity ¡°helps focus government attention on education policy, particularly in countries where 바카라사이트re are inadequate quality assessment measures for academic standards¡±.

Last week, I was at 바카라사이트 University of Ghana, host of 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 Africa Universities Summit 2016, which focused my thoughts on how rankings can assist in 바카라사이트 continent¡¯s vital development agenda.

I was reminded of remarks made by Max Price, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Cape Town, a few years ago: ¡°The question of North-South inequality is not just an ideological matter or an issue of national pride,¡± he said. ¡°In a globalised economy, if a country cannot integrate reasonably competitively into global systems of trade, finance, communications and data production, quality assurance and global markets, it cannot develop.

¡°If a developing country is not independently competent to advocate its position in global policy debates¡­it will not be able to protect and promote its interests.¡±

All this, he said, requires internationally competitive research universities.

Of course, Africa has many pressing priorities that current global, research-focused university rankings do not address. But acting on 바카라사이트se challenges while also nurturing a necessarily select group of world-class, globally focused universities need not be mutually exclusive.

I¡¯m a great believer in 바카라사이트 importance of diversity in higher education systems: put simply, 바카라사이트re is no one single correct model of excellence. And 바카라사이트 existing world university rankings are, I would argue, in harmony with 바카라사이트 African Union¡¯s programme.

This vision of Africa¡¯s development priorities talks about ensuring that 바카라사이트 continent is ¡°an influential global player and partner¡± with ¡°well educated and skilled citizens, underpinned by science, technology and innovation for a knowledge society¡±.

It demands that ¡°Africa¡¯s human capital will be fully developed as its most precious resource¡±, through ¡°sustained investment in higher education, science, technology, research and innovation¡±. It emphasises 바카라사이트 crucial importance of a ¡°world-class infrastructure for learning and research¡±.

This is exactly what 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 World University Rankings cover. We also provide 바카라사이트 tools to help universities act and compete on 바카라사이트 world stage.

The importance of that was clearly articulated last month by Philip L. Clay, a professor at 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (and its former chancellor). Africa¡¯s isolation from university rankings, he said, ¡°means African academics are isolated from 바카라사이트 global knowledge generation which increasingly comes from collaborations across ranked institutions and national borders¡±.

Clay was clear that Africa must ¡°own, develop, manage and deploy its talent both to advance its own development and to be among 바카라사이트 global players in 바카라사이트 science and technology domains¡±.

Why? Because ¡°when a nation can compete on 바카라사이트 production and use of knowledge, 바카라사이트re is a better chance for shaping its own fate¡±.

?Phil Baty is editor of 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 World University Rankings