"Rankings harm Africa's higher education: Professor Sioux McKenna"

Looking at alternative ways of measuring impact is vital if we are not to fall into the trap of using the flawed publication based metrics system. Katie Foxall's article in the Transforming Society blog identifies alternative questions we should use as we rethink success: https://lnkd.in/eCPgZnpC

An important perspective from #highereducation: universities around the world, including the Sorbonne, Columbia and Utrecht, are stepping away from global rankings. Critics argue that the systems are flawed, reward research outputs over teaching or social impact, and can draw resources away from local priorities. For African universities, the article suggests, this raises a vital question: should we be chasing global rankings, or building evaluation systems that reflect our own priorities and contexts? https://lnkd.in/dtbWszKG

A total of 48 Pakistani universities have been ranked in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, out of 99 national participants. Quaid-i-Azam University leads the list, placed in the 401–500 range globally, followed by NUST, COMSATS, and LUMS among other notable institutions. The rankings highlight Pakistan’s growing academic and research presence on the world stage, with several universities showing significant progress in research quality and international outlook. Globally, the University of Oxford retains the top position for the tenth consecutive year, while Princeton and China’s top institutions show impressive advancement.

Statistics Canada’s 2023 Survey on Research Activities and Commercialization of Intellectual Property in Higher Education came out this week. A few items stand out: - About 10% of the partnerships and contracts were with the college sector, vastly exceeding the college share (about 3%) of Federal research funding. - The college sector provided support to more SMEs than universities (9K vs 6.5K) The college sector dominated the delivery of prototypes & minimum viable products, and was over-represented in providing SMEs with networking and introduction support. - Universities dominated many of the other types of support provided, including the filing of IP disclosures (90%), but more than 50% of the licenses went to foreign organizations. Perhaps it’s a good thing that only 2.5% of the contracts and partnerships led to an IP disclosure. So, who you gonna call? #Canada #Innovation #SMEs #Colleges #Universities

𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮: 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗨𝗦𝗔𝗙) If your child plans to study at a South African university, you’ll need to meet 𝗨𝗦𝗔𝗙’𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 using Cambridge qualifications. But this path is more complex than the standard Matric equivalent. Subject choices must match specific groupings, the required grades must be met, and universities may add their own requirements on top. We’ve supported many families in navigating this, from choosing the right subjects to understanding how it all fits together for university entry. When you're not sure, we’re here to help. 📌 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀.𝗰𝗼.𝘇𝗮 📄 Useful links: 𝗨𝗦𝗔𝗙 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: https://lnkd.in/dHtDi86G 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗔: https://lnkd.in/djk3nRZK 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲: This post is a simplified guide. Always confirm with the university of your choice whether your subject combination and grades meet their entry criteria. #cambridgematric #usafexemption #UniversityBound #parentsupport #DigiTutors #homeschooljourney

7 US universities top the chart with 3 UK universities. The ranking is measured by teaching quality, research environment, quality of research, research impact and connection to industries. A nation that wants to grow will value education and invest in research. No African University made it to top 100 and that speaks clearly why nations in our clime aren't making progress as they should. Indeed, quality education brings development to a nation. It may take Africa years to reach this mark of quality education, academic excellence and impact but we can if we value and invest in quality education.

The HEC Pakistan (Higher Education Commission) has launched a new opportunity for Pakistani students to pursue PhD programs at top US universities under a fully-funded scholarship initiative. This program aims to promote advanced research, academic excellence, and international collaboration — empowering the next generation of scholars and innovators from Pakistan. Disclaimer: The information provided is for general awareness purposes only. Development Chronicles does not process, offer, or guarantee any scholarships. Applicants should verify details directly from HEC’s official website or authorized sources. #HEC #Scholarships #PhDPrograms #StudyAbroad #EducationNews #HigherEducation #Research #AcademicExcellence #PakistaniStudents #DevelopmentChronicles #GlobalLearning #EducationOpportunities #ScholarshipAlert #StudyInUSA

📣 New publication In the Fall Issue (#124) of 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐸𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, a publication of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, Logan Cochrane, Salwa Al-Mannai and I write about foreign aid to higher education during the first seven years of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. 📌 Our article can be read here: https://lnkd.in/duStG-p6 This short article is based on our paper on the same topic published in the Journal of Development Studies (available here open access: https://lnkd.in/damMJGua). Our research was supported by the Education Above All Foundation. Many thanks to Rebecca Schendel and Chris Glass for the support during the submission and editing process. #SDGs #highered #education

🌍 “In the last decade, #university admission quotas have nearly doubled, which has expanded access to #higher education while also raising issues of #quality and #equity” said Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev during the opening ceremony of the “THE Eurasia Universities Summit” in #Baku. 📌 The Minister emphasized that the key question in higher education remains who gets this #opportunity: 📚 “We can say that everyone can receive higher #education, but certain criteria must be met.” 🔄He drew attention to two possible approaches to this issue: “Either giving preference only to individuals with specific #skills and #abilities, or treating higher education purely as an #individual economic choice, leaving the decision up to one’s own #priorities.”

An interesting read that strongly supports the need for risk tolerant funding for research commercialization, as well as increased scrutiny of research IP licensing outcomes