No Pakistani university ranked among world’s top 350: Report

Islamabad, July 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) No Pakistani university has been ranked among the top 350 universities of the world in the recently revealed QS World Universities Rankings 2027, local media reported. The Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) ranked at the 381 spot globally is Pakistan's top position in QS World University Rankings 2027, local media reported.

"The rankings are, at best, a rough measure of quality. But they do reveal a lot. If we do not have a university in the top 350, it does say quite a bit about the priority accorded to education in Pakistan. And, knowing our budget allocations for education in general as well as higher education, and our other spending priorities, it is not a surprise," Faisal Bari, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives and an Associate Professor of economics at Lums, wrote in a report in Pakistan-based daily Dawn.

"If our government spends less than one per cent of GDP on education, including expenditure on school education, is it any surprise that we do not have any universities in the top 350?," the author stated.

The countries which have universities in the top 200 rankings include India, Chile, Qatar, Brazil, Mexico, the UAE, Kazakhstan, South Africa. All these nations have per capita income higher than Pakistan and whose spending on education as a percentage of GDP is more.

Though Pakistan's universities have not been ranked among top universities. However, it would actually be a surprise if Pakistan's universities get ranked among top universities as the Pakistani authorities do not spend the type of money that quality higher education institutions, private or government, require. In addition, Pakistan does not have enough money for research or paying salaries to faculties.

Writing in Dawn, Faisal Bari asked, "So, how do we get top-ranked universities? More importantly, should we even try for one to reach the top 100 or 200 when the entire higher education sector is plagued with serious challenges? Or should we focus on broader measures that align incentives with better performance across the sector and then support top-tier public and private universities to scale newer heights?"

In June, a report claimed that Universities continue to increase and degree programmes continue to expand in Pakistan. However, concerns remain about the quality of graduates in Pakistan.

“Pakistan's higher education sector has expanded significantly over the past two decades. New universities have emerged across the country and enrolment figures have increased while thousands of graduates enter the job market every year. Yet quantity has not necessarily translated into quality. Employers routinely complain about skill gaps among graduates, while international rankings continue to reflect weaknesses in research output and innovation,” an editorial in Pakistan-based daily The Express Tribune mentioned.

The part of the problem is due to the tendency to see quality assurance as a bureaucratic exercise. Many institutions focus on meeting regulatory environments while paying inadequate attention to actual learning outcomes.

Curriculum of the educational institutions remain outdated and teaching methods continue to depend heavily on rote learning, creating a mismatch between what students are taught in universities and what the economy requires, according to an editorial in The Express Tribune.

Higher education institutions should be centres of innovation and problem-solving, conduct research that address national challenges like water scarcity, climate change and technological advancement. Universities must keep these learning outcomes at the centre of academic planning and regularly analyse programmes to ensure their relevance during the current time.

Source: IANS