UCT 107th, Wits not in the top 200 universities!

Only 2 universities in the whole of Africa made the list? Says something about Africa's commitment to quality education doesn't it?
 
Aren't most of these tables constructed on the amount and quality of research a university does?

We all know SA has a dire shortage of Masters and Ph.D students in the country and that is the primary reason.

Sadly - from my experience - most people go to university to earn lots of money quickly and therefore take Commerce or Engineering courses.

Edit: Not saying that is necessarily a bad thing but rather African universities won't climb tables if we continue to focus on these two areas. I'd hazard a guess that B.Sc students are the likeliest to do post-grad [Masters and Ph.D].
 
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In light of the continent’s urgent problems, Mohamedbhai thinks that African universities should absent themselves from the race to rise up the rankings and focus their efforts on immediate needs.

“Do African universities need to be ranked globally? I don’t think so. Their mission should be to produce the appropriate manpower required for Africa’s development, to undertake research that is of direct relevance to Africa – which may not be acceptable for publication in the best scientific journals – and to reach out to assist the communities in the many challenges they are facing, especially poverty reduction.

“None of these fits the criteria used for global ranking. African universities have a duty to serve their countries and region first before seeking global glory. The tragedy is that many African governments, blinded by the prestige of global rankings, are challenging their universities to be ranked without understanding the consequences of the grossly inappropriate use of resources that that would entail.

“At the end of the day, this brings us back to the very purpose of higher education in a country. Not all universities in the world can have the same mission. Priorities are different in different countries, and universities must not be forced to conform to a single model of a world-class university.”
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http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/africa.html

Interesting view point.
 
Very impressive climb. Horah for Africa's BEST!!! yhea, WC soveriegnty NOW!
 
phenom said:
Very impressive climb. Horah for Africa's BEST!!! yhea, WC soveriegnty NOW!
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Meh, for such a great university i've heard (from my mates that are studying there) that their admin leaves alot to be desired...
 
Agriculture is very important for Africa, so why isn't Stellenbosch on the research list? No, I think a decline in standards is very much to blame.
 
These lists are great if you're competing for students from all over the globe, but I tend to agree with Mohamedbhai's view point.. Our universities need to focus on developing students needed in the African context..
 
These results are based primarily on post graduate research, and how many international students the university attracts, not the education that students receive. The main reason for these low rankings is that the SA population don't really value research for research's sake. Many students want to go to university so that they can get a high paying job, not so that they can probe the mysteries of the universe or come up with an entirely new branch of mathematics. Very sad indeed
 
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Looks at the rating method...its no wonder SA uni's are not on there.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/img/analysis-methodology.jpg

It's gotta do with all sorts of industry based investment and income in many of the attributes. OBVIOUSLY little SA doesn't have the industry, military or any other big-wig financial giants to give funding. This has little to no relevance in SA. Plus, our universities are pretty small relative to the others, another limiting factor.
 
Ever since these lists started being published a few years ago, universities all around the world are competing to be in the top 100, 200, etc. The competition is extremely stiff.

It is possible for a university to improve in absolute terms but still drop down the list simply because other universities are improving at a faster rate.

These lists are compiled in a way that does not necessarily reflect the quality of education one receives.

American universities dominate these lists because they have the vast funds available for research. This includes buying talent from other countries.

My perception is that historically white Afrikaans universities have improved in recent years whereas historically white English universities have been slipping.
 
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