At the World Academic Summit, Times Higher Education magazine revealed the latest university rankings. The National University of Singapore (NUS) have gone down by one rank, overtaken by China’s Tsinghua University to take the top spot in Asia’s list.
Education Minister Ong Ye Kung made a statement to call for change in the current methodology of ranking universities to include more evaluation on impact beyond research. He highlighted that universities have varied and profound roles today, to work closely with industries, and encourage flow of talent between the sectors.
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Analysis:
These rankings are based on a set of indicators to measure the universities. They may not be indicative of the perceived value of the universities for prospective students.
The disruptive nature of technology and demands of the fourth industrial revolution have forced higher education institutions to re-evaluate what is the value they can bring to their students and the larger society. If online courses and a simple Google search can inundate a student with information, the added value of going to university is learning how to make sense of these information and apply them to the real world.
Quoting Minister Ong in another interview: “We need to use an inquiry-based approach to teach students how to exercise critical thinking,” he said. “It used to be ‘knowledge is power’. Now, power is knowing what knowledge to ignore, and what to take in, and decide for yourself.”
It is therefore arguably important to consider the pedagogy of universities, and how well-connected they are to industries.
Questions for personal evaluation:
- What are your deciding factors in evaluating a university to enrol into?
- What is the value of education?
- Do you agree with the notion that ‘a degree is just another piece of paper to get a job’?
Useful vocabulary/phrases:
- ‘Knocked off its perch’: being defeated or overcome from a dominant position
- ‘Isolationism’: a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.
Picture credits: https://pixabay.com/en/graduation-diploma-education-1449488/
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