LAHORE: Experts believe that a university’s worth is more than the criteria and data used in its ranking. Ideally, a university’s impact on innovation, socio-cultural promotion and development of a region should be assessed.
During a debate, organised by the University of Health Sciences (UHS) Quality Enhancement Cell on Wednesday, University of Agriculture (UoA) Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that the modern obsession with ‘better data’ was driving the management of universities rather than the academic culture.
He added that the genuine test of a university is how it continuously anticipates change through innovations, which creates new values as well as offering social, environmental and financial returns for the university, nation and region.
Allama Iqbal Medical College Head of Ophthalmology Department Prof Dr Nadeem Hafeez Butt said that heavy reliance on ‘good data’ could jeopardise the academic quality of an institution. It had been observed that in a rush to enhance international reputation, some universities recruit academic staff and admit students neglect their previous qualifications and abilities, he said, adding, “Such an approach is not only short-sighted and counterproductive for institutional capacity-building, but may also jeopardise the nurturing of a true academic culture,” he added.
University of Education Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Raufe Azam, however, differed in opinion. He was of the view that quantitative data reflected strength in teaching, research impact and international reputation. He said that in current world rankings of universities, a single number is mathematically derived to give the position of an institution relative to others with regards to different aspects of its quality.
Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board Chairman and University of Engineering and Technology former vice chancellor Lt Gen (r) Muhammad Akram Khan said that rankings have become a significant part of the tertiary or higher education landscape, both globally and locally. He said that in this landscape, rankings have risen in importance and proliferated in unimaginable ways. “It has become commercialised and, with it, so has the sophistication of agencies and organisations that rank colleges and universities. Undoubtedly, rankings now play a big role in shaping the opinions of current and potential students, parents, employers, and government about the quality of tertiary education institutions.
Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Chairman Dr Muhammad Nizamuddin, however, argued that Pakistan’s higher education system must cater first to the current educational needs of the country. “We cannot make the mistake of comparing ourselves with funding-intensive institutions of the world. However, we can select a handful of institutions and focus on integrating undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, research, and citations together,” he suggested.
UHS Medical Education Department’s Associate Professor Dr Amina Ahmad said that data such as number of citations, faculty-student ratios and enrolments reflect the quality of teaching and learning. It has a value as a reference and as a basis for comparison. “Data may not always serve as the best proxy of quality and relevance of higher education institutions yet it gives public specific information that helps them select an institution,” she added.
UHS Vice Chancellor Maj Gen (r) Prof Muhammad Aslam gave a presentation on QS World Ranking of Universities. Quality Enhancement Cell Director Prof Arif Rasheed Khawaja briefed the participants about quality assurance processes being practiced by UHS. The vice chancellors of local universities and principals of affiliated medical colleges attended the event.