World University Rankings 2027

In my previous column, I asked the question “Are we losing our edge?”

I guess the universe was listening, because yesterday I got my answer with the release of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 which ranked 3,146 universities all over the world.

The World University Rankings are based on overall scores, teaching (which looks at the quality of the learning environment), research environment (which is based on research volume, income and reputation), research quality (which looks at a university’s role in spreading new knowledge and ideas), industry (which looks at the university’s ability to help industry with innovations and inventions) and lastly, its international outlook (or ability to attract undergraduates, post-graduates and faculty).

Philippine universities still performed relatively well with Ateneo de Manila University at the 1001-1200 range with an overall score rating of 33.3 to 36.3. The University of the Philippines was ranked at the 1200 to 1400 range with an overall score of 30.5 to 33.2 percent.

The University of Santo Tomás was ranked at 1600 to 1800 with an overall score of 24.2 to 27.1, while De La Salle University was ranked at 1801 to 2000. Mapua University was ranked at 1801 to 2000 range.

Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology managed to join the listing at 2001+ with an overall score ranging from 12.2 to 20.3.

What was interesting about the World University Rankings is that Asian universities have resumed an upward trajectory in the rankings that is taking them past mainland European educational institutions for the first time.

It was also noted that the reputational luster of American and British universities may just be protecting them for now, but the results seem to indicate that the monopoly of western universities’ on the highest echelons of global academia looks increasingly shaky, with traditional powerhouse institutions relying on the enduring strength of their reputations to offset weakening research performance.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 show Asian campuses resuming their march up the table after a brief pause last year, suggesting that the long-standing world order could be on the brink of definitive change.

In first place for a record 11th consecutive year is the University of Oxford. It was ahead of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by the slimmest of margins. Coming in at third and fourth were US universities Princeton and Stanford, followed at fifth place by British University of Cambridge. America’s Harvard University was at No. 6.

The California Institute of Technology was at No. 7, followed at No. 8 by the UK’s Imperial College of London, while American institutions University of California Berkeley and Yale University were at the same rating of No. 9.

What was notable though was the high ranking of two Chinese educational institutions and the National University of Singapore.

China’s Tsinghua University was ranked No. 11 with an overall score of 93.9 and Peking University was ranked at No. 13 with an overall score of 92.8 percent.

The National University of Singapore is at No. 15, with an overall score of 91.1 percent.

Japan’s University of Tokyo was ranked at No. 27 with an overall score of 84.3, followed at No. 28 by Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University with an overall score of 84.

China’s University of Hong Kong was ranked at No. 33 with an overall score of 82.6, and coming in at No. 34 was Zhejiang University with an overall score of 80.9.

At No. 38 and 39 were Fudan University with an overall score of 80.2 and Shanghai Jiao Tong University with an overall score of 80.

At No. 42 was The Chinese University of Hong Kong with an overall score of 77.8.

The World University Rankings should be a cause for concern for us because clearly we are losing our educational edge.

As the economy tanks, crimes increase

As our economy slows down, the loss of jobs, underemployment, inflation and rising cost of living are spurring more criminal activities.

Petty crimes, of course, still happen even if the economy is good.

The bad elements are always around.

But perhaps, because there was also massive government corruption in flood control projects, the mind boggling amounts of money that were being spent on gambling and lavish spending of corrupt DPWH officials and their partners in crime kept the local economy humming and was also trickling down to petty criminals — keeping them happy enough not to bother with penny ante pickings.

Even criminals have a circular economy as they need to support and pay off their enablers — everybody happy, no whistle blowers, less petty crimes since there was so-called “gravy” flowing from corruption.

Unfortunately, with the exposure of the flood control corruption, coupled with the unexpected geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East, the “easy” money is gone and the once generous contractors and corrupt officials have surely tightened their “generous” spending.

The loss of that once generous flow of money has now brought back petty crimes, and most of the stories about the increasing spate of hold-ups, snatching and pickpocketing incidences are exploding and being reported almost in real time through social media.

In Makati, where several high-profile crimes have occurred in the once-safe and guarded subdivisions as well as in the business/residential area of Legazpi Village, residents have been posting on social media several incidents of hold-ups.

At least two hold-up/robberies were reported on mainstream media involving a Japanese izakaya and an upscale Spanish restaurant.

The funny part, however, is that the Makati Police — which have been bashed by netizens for their poor performance — are the ones complaining about the online reporting and bashing. The Makati Police want victims to report such incidents to them first before posting online.