7 PH universities join best in Asia

Another seven universities from the Philippines—four of them based in Mindanao—were named among the Top 650 schools in Asia in addition to the seven already on the list since last year, according to the 2021 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia rankings released on Thursday.

The seven new schools were Ateneo de Davao University (501-550 bracket), Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (551-600), Adamson University (601+), Central Luzon State University (601+), Central Mindanao University (601+), Central Philippine University (601+) and Xavier University (601+).

The University of the Philippines remained the country’s highest-ranked school as it climbed to the 69th spot from 72nd in 2020.

It was followed by Ateneo de Manila University at the 135th spot, down from 124th; De La Salle University, 166th from 156th; University of Santo Tomas, 186th from 179th; and University of San Carlos, 451-500 bracket, down from 351-400 bracket.

Also on the list were Mapua University and Siliman University in the 501-550 bracket, down from their previous ranking of 451-500.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) attributed the improved rankings to its efforts in “assisting Philippine [higher educational institutions, or HEIs] to internationalize by helping them understand the international ranking system.”

It added that the schools’ internationalization initiatives were promoted through university-to-university twinning programs and research, study visits by university presidents, and scholarships in top foreign universities.

“Since 2016, many Philippine HEIs have gained increased exposure and visibility by attending educational fairs and international conferences, mobilizing student and faculty exchanges, and building strategic partnerships and linkages which have contributed to the fulfillment of this wonderful achievement,” CHEd chair Prospero de Vera III said in a statement.

Despite the decline in ranking of some of the universities, De Vera said the inclusion of seven more schools in the list was “welcome news to show that our efforts to provide access to quality education are bearing fruit.”

“The internationalization of Philippine HEIs has been a key strategy of the Duterte administration to improve the quality of education so we can produce world-class graduates,” he said.

The improvement in UP’s ranking, however, came after President Duterte threatened to defund the country’s top state university for supposedly recruiting students to become communist rebels during a public address.

The QS ranks schools in Asia based on 11 key indicators, including academic reputation (30 percent), employer reputation (20 percent), faculty-to-student ratio (10 percent) and international research network (10 percent).

The indicators for Asia rankings are weighted higher than those for world rankings, with the QS saying that the changes were based on consultations with regional experts and stakeholders to determine the key priorities for universities in the region.

The National University of Singapore remained at the top spot in Asia for the third consecutive year.