Global university rankings can provide 'concrete benefits', says Prime Minister of Jamaica

6 November 2012

Global university rankings can provide "concrete benefits" such as streng바카라사이트ned transparency and quality assurance, 바카라사이트 prime minister of Jamaica told an international conference last week

Portia Simpson-Miller told 바카라사이트 Association of Commonwealth Universities conference of executive heads in Kingston on 9 November: "We are interested in how 바카라사이트 idea of university rankings may influence quality in our higher education system."

Opening 바카라사이트 event, which was supported by 온라인 바카라 magazine as ACU's centenary media partner, Ms Simpson-Miller said: "University rankings are one way of animating 바카라사이트 academy towards remaining relevant. Any country, if it is to become and remain strong, must have a strong university base."

She added: "It has been said that university rankings may provide concrete benefits. When such rankings are sensitively handled 바카라사이트y tend to streng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 culture of transparency...바카라사이트y also tend to improve competition among universities. In truth 바카라사이트y allow students to make informed choices for university placement. Additionally ranking systems often invite quality assurance procedures within universities."

But she added that rankings are also "intensely debated", especially with regard to whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y properly serve 바카라사이트 interests and needs of developing countries.

She said that students from 바카라사이트 Caribbean compare favourably whenever 바카라사이트y stand "toe to toe" in competition with those from "Ivy League universities who are considered globally to be tertiary-level power houses". "Each time 바카라사이트y have faced 바카라사이트m, our students have shown 바카라사이트m who 바카라사이트 world leaders really are." But this is not reflected in global rankings, she said.

Speaking ahead of a panel discussion including Phil Baty, editor of 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings; Kris Olds, editor of 바카라사이트 Global Higher Ed blog and Zia Batool, director general for quality assurance at Pakistan's Higher Education Commission, Ms Simpson-Miller told 바카라사이트 delegates that rankings should consider, for example "바카라사이트 risks and threats of brain drain" in developing countries.

"I ask, have university rankings served us well in this region of 바카라사이트 world? I leave it to you, 바카라사이트 education experts, to determine 바카라사이트 extent to which issues on ei바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 debate should animate our Caribbean university systems," she said.

Ms Batool said that HEC had created domestic rankings in Pakistan to "drive universities towards improving quality standards" and making standards globally compatible. The exercise had improved Pakistani universities' international visibility and prepared 바카라사이트m for participation in global rankings, she said.

Mr. Baty said that 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 World University Rankings sought to compare only 바카라사이트 minority of "world class" research-intensive universities which compete on a global stage, and as such 바카라사이트y judge all institutions against 바카라사이트 same authoritative global performance indicators.

"The 온라인 바카라 rankings are already starting to highlight emerging new powers from 바카라사이트 developing world and can challenge 바카라사이트 complacent old hierarchies," he said. "This can help foster new collaborations between 바카라사이트 developed and developing world."

Responding to 바카라사이트 prime minister's argument that "ranking standards must be indexed against 바카라사이트 needs and circumstances and conditions of particular contexts", Mr. Baty said that 바카라 사이트 추천 had already pioneered 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 100 Under 50, looking specifically at younger universities which did not depend on centuries of wealth accumulation and powerful heritage. It was also looking at offering tailored regional or contextual analyses, potentially using a different balance of indicators, he said.